About two out of three cancer patients are surviving five years or longer thanks to improvements in early detection and treatment, according to a new study.
The study released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 2011 data, the latest year available, of patients suffering from various types of cancers.
During 2011, about 1.5 million cases were reported to cancer registry centers across the country. The study broke down the largest types of cancer starting with prostate (128 people per 100,000 men), female breast cancer (122 per 100,000), lung (61 per 100,000), and colon and rectum (40 per 100,000 persons).
Those four types accounted for half of the cancers diagnosed in 2011, the CDC said.
The survival rate of at least five years after diagnosis comes with some caveats. The study found that it can vary depending on the type of cancer and age when diagnosed.
In addition, the survival rate for blacks (60 percent) was slightly lower than compared to whites (65 percent).
Cancer survival and incidence data can help guide planning and evaluation of prevention programs, the agency said. The data can also help public officials decide where to spend money on prevention.
Take Vermont for example. The state’s cancer registry data was used to identify two counties with extremely high melanoma rates, leading officials to target a new program for skin cancer prevention.
