Shameless snake-oil salesmen and women market amazing cancer cures with only limited anecdotal evidence and absolutely no scientific backing. Many of them rake in millions of dollars preying on the desperate and dying hoping for any cure. What they like to steer their followers away from is not just the overwhelming evidence exposing their “medicine”, but the good news about cancer survivorship. How many cancer survivors are there in the US? According to the American Cancer Society:
“More than 15.5 million children and adults with a history of cancer
were alive on January 1, 2016, in the United States ….. Cancers of the prostate and colon and rectum,
and melanoma are the three most prevalent among males, whereas cancers of the
breast, uterine corpus, and colon and rectum are most prevalent among females
….. The majority of cancer survivors (67%) were diagnosed 5 or more years ago,
and 17% were diagnosed 20 or more years ago. Nearly half (47%) of survivors are
70 years of age or older, while only 11% are younger than 50 ….. By January 1,
2026, it is estimated that the population of cancer survivors will increase to
20.3 million: almost 10 million males and 10.3 million females.”
Childhood cancer survivor rates have also increased:
“It is estimated
that there were 388,501 childhood cancer survivors alive in the U.S. as of
January 1, 2011, an increase of 59,849 from the previous (2005) estimate.
Findings of this analysis indicate that 83.5% of those diagnosed with childhood
cancer survived 5 years after their cancer diagnosis, with almost 45% surviving
20 years. Moreover, 5% of childhood cancer survivors were 60 years of age. The
increased prevalence of childhood cancer survivors through 2011 reflects
ongoing treatment successes for a variety of childhood cancers.”
Cancer quacks like to point out the fact that the total
number of people getting cancer has actually increased in recent years. This is
faulty reasoning. Since both the US and Canadian population is aging, there is
obviously going to be more cancer patients. Cancer rates – adjusted for age –
are actually in decline. Note that the reason for the burgeoning aging
population is because people are living much longer than they were just 50
years ago – all thanks to modern medicine. Because they are living longer does
not mean they are in perfect health. With age comes numerous conditions and
diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control helps
with various survivorship issues:
Access to
health care is an important issue for cancer survivors
---Not all
cancer survivors have equal access to medical care. Public health organizations
can help provide equal access to important services among all survivors.
---Cancer
survivors may face higher out-of-pocket medical costs than people who have
never been diagnosed with cancer. These extra costs can prevent or delay access
to important medical care, including cancer screening tests.
Breast
cancer survivors need greater support for issues with memory, thinking, and
attention
Many breast
cancer survivors (60%) report concerns with memory, thinking, and attention
after treatment, but few are talking to their doctors about their needs and
concerns, and fewer are receiving treatment to address their concerns.
Colorectal
cancer survivors need to be advised to limit alcohol use
Physical
activity may improve colorectal cancer survivors’ quality of life
Surveillance
and research are important to improving care for cancer survivors
CDC’s
National Program of Cancer Registries collects data on cancer diagnosis and
treatment for 96% of the U.S. population. These data can help patients and
their doctors.
Resources
Survivorship Resources http://www.cancer.net/survivorship
CDC Cancer Survivorship Resources https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivorship/resources/index.htm
Navigating Cancer Care http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated
Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Facts and Figures 2016 – 2017 https://old.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@research/documents/document/acspc-048074.pdf
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship http://www.canceradvocacy.org/
Cancer A – Z https://www.cancer.org/cancer.html
Cancer Survivors in the United States: A Review of the Literature and a Call to Action http://www.medsci.org/v09p0163.htm
Related Posts
Dying Man’s Overview of Cancer Quackery http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2016/02/dying-mans-overview-of-cancer-quackery.html
Yet Another Victim of Cancer Quackery http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2015/09/yet-another-victim-of-cancer-quackery.html
Liars! How Snake-Oil Doctors Use 5 Logical Fallacies http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2015/11/liars-how-snake-oil-doctors-shrewdly.html
9 Devious Ways Alternative Medicine “Doctors” Deceive Their Patients http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2015/01/9-reasons-why-some-alternative-medicine.html
Pseudo-Health & Snake-Oil: 14 Examples of Faulty Thinking http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2016/06/pseudo-health-snake-oil-14-concise_22.html
12 Quick Guidelines For Uncovering & Exposing Quack Medicine http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2013/08/12-quick-guidelines-for-uncovering.html
Photo: http://barbsibbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/no-secret.jpg
Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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