We have the knowledge and the tools to make substantial gains against cancer. If we can understand what drives these changes, we can use this knowledge to support health policies and action. We see two very different pictures of our progress against cancer. One day we are told the number of people with cancer is rising and our treatment system is in danger of being overwhelmed. First, we can look at cancer survival rates.
Statistics show that there have been dramatic improvements in stomach cancer and childhood leukemia.
There have been slow, steady improvements in other cancers, such as bowel cancer. But there have also been backward steps. There has been little or no change in breast or prostate cancer. We can also look at our population. But we know that cancer usually strikes later in life, and our population is aging.