The years lost to cancer
By Patterson Clark, Published: Feb. 17, 2014
While some cancers may claim fewer lives than others, they might cause a greater loss of potential years of life. Less common but more potent cancers that tend to be diagnosed earlier in life may have a greater impact on the population than would a more common but less virulent cancer occurring later in life. Related: New therapies targeting cancer could change everything
NEW CASES
IN THOUSANDS
223
143
209
43
43
66
24
22
218
22
17
58
21
71
68
20
37
43
12
8
8
157
51
40
37
22
20
19
13
32
14
15
13
11
15
9
11
8
8
4
1
0.3
LUNG
COLON/RECTUM
BREAST
PANCREAS
LEUKEMIA
NON-HDG. LYMPHOMA
LIVER
BRAIN, NERVE
PROSTATE
OVARY
ESOPHAGUS
KIDNEY
STOMACH
BLADDER
MELANOMA
MYELOMA
ORAL /PHARYNX
UTERUS
CERVIX
HODGKIN LYMPHOMA
TESTES
CANCER TYPE
2010, UNITED STATES
IN MILLIONS OF YEARS OF LIFE LOST
2.37
0.76
0.76
0.50
0.36
0.29
0.29
0.29
0.27
0.25
0.21
0.20
0.18
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.14
0.12
0.10
0.03
0.01
NCI FUNDING, IN MILLIONS
$282
270
631
97
296
122
73
193
301
112
31
90
15
23
102
49
14
14
77
15
6
MEDIAN AGE*
AT DIAGNOSIS
AND DEATH
70
72
69
74
61
68
71
73
66
75
66
76
63
68
57
64
66
80
63
71
67
69
64
71
69
72
73
79
61
69
69
75
62
67
62
71
49
57
38
64
33
40
DEATHS
Prostate cancer
generally occurs
later in life and has
a higher survival
rate than many
other cancers.
Brain cancer
tends to strike at
an earlier age
and has a low
survival rate.
Research funding at the National
Cancer Institute doesn’t
necessarily correlate with a
cancer’s impact. Lung cancer,
which yearly robs Americans of
more than 2 million years of life,
receives less research funding
than does prostate cancer, which
is much less devastating to the
population. Breast cancer receives
about twice as much funding as
any other cancer, even though in
terms of years of life lost, it has
only a third of the impact of lung
cancer.
A 2012 study in the journal BMC
Public Health surmises that “the
relatively high level of funding for
breast cancer is due to the
organized efforts of women’s
groups and charitable
organizations to raise awareness
and concern about the burden
caused by this cancer.”
Since 2010, NCI money allocated
for research on lung cancer and
melanoma has increased slightly,
while funds for breast, prostate
and colorectal cancer research
have ebbed.
Research funding at the National
Cancer Institute doesn’t
necessarily correlate with a
cancer’s impact. Lung cancer,
which yearly robs Americans of
more than 2 million years of life,
receives less research funding
than does prostate cancer, which
is much less devastating to the
population. Breast cancer receives
about twice as much funding as
any other cancer, even though in
terms of years of life lost, it has
only a third of the impact of lung
cancer.
A 2012 study in the journal BMC
Public Health surmises that “the
relatively high level of funding for
breast cancer is due to the
organized efforts of women’s
groups and charitable
organizations to raise awareness
and concern about the burden
caused by this cancer.”
Since 2010, NCI money allocated
for research on lung cancer and
melanoma has increased slightly,
while funds for breast, prostate
and colorectal cancer research
have ebbed.
Money for research
SOURCE: National Cancer Institute; BMC Public Health | *The age at which half of those sampled were older and half were younger.