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Number of cancer survivors rising in US

The number of cancer survivors in the US climbed from 9.8 million in 2001 to 11.7 million in 2007, according to a latest report. Of the 11.7 million people living with cancer, seven million were 65 years or older, said the report released Thursday by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and […]

The number of cancer survivors in the US climbed from 9.8 million in 2001 to 11.7 million in 2007, according to a latest report.

Of the 11.7 million people living with cancer, seven million were 65 years or older, said the report released Thursday by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Most of the survivors – 54 percent – were women, with survivors of breast cancer making up the largest group at 22 percent, Xinhua reported.

The report attributed the rise in the number of cancer survivors to early diagnosis and better diagnostic methods, better treatment and more follow-up care after treatment.

“Many people are living for a long time after diagnosis, and this is especially true for cancers that we have the ability to detect early,” said report co-author Arica White.