According to urologist Des Moines Dr. Fawad Zafar, a new report recognizes a group of Americans that is expected to grow by 30 percent over the next 10-year period – cancer survivors.
As of Jan. 1 of this year, there were over 14 million people alive in the United States who had been diagnosed with some type of cancer. By the year 2024, that figure is forecast to reach almost 19 million, according to a recent report by the American Cancer Society.
Fortunately, your urologist Des Moines explains that the increase in the number of cancer survivors is not a sign that cancer rates are rising; in fact, the rates have actually declined over the past 10-year period. But since the U.S. population is simultaneously aging and growing, the total number of cancer patients is certain to increase.
Today, over 60 percent of all cancer survivors have lived at least five years from the time when they were diagnosed, including the 15 percent of people who have lived at least 20 years. Many of these survivors have gone on to live long lives, with over 40 percent of them reaching the age of 70.
For men, the biggest group of cancer survivors this year is the 40+ percent who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Your urologist Des Moines reports that hey are followed by:
- 9 percent who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer;
- 8 percent who were diagnosed with melanoma;
- 7 percent who were diagnosed with bladder cancer.
These four types of cancers will continue to make up the four largest groups of male cancer survivors in 2024, the report authors predict.
According to your urologist Des Moines, the growing number of cancer survivors in the U.S. makes it even more important that we understand the unique medical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors, as they face numerous, important obstacles created by a fractured health care system, poor integration of survivorship care, and financial and other barriers to quality care, particularly among the medically underserved.
If you or someone you know wants more information regarding any type of cancer, contact the office of urologist Des Moines Dr. Fawad Zafar today!