Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, said that "there is enormous detail in this comprehensive report, but the take-away message is as clear as it is compelling: the incidence and death toll from cancer are both steadily, if gradually, declining."
That is not a new message, Katz noted.
"The gratifying conclusion is that we are effectively fighting cancer at every level: preventing it outright by modifying cancer risk factors; finding it early through effective screening; and treating it ever more effectively. The benefits of screening suggested here are timely in light of recent debate about the net benefits of mammography," he said. "The overall news here is clearly good, and is something of a rebuke for those who fear modern science rather than embracing the benefits it so often confers."
More information
For more information on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
SOURCES: Brenda K. Edwards, Ph.D., associate director, Surveillance Research Program, U.S. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.; David L. Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Dec. 7, 2009, Cancer, online
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