KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the impact of advancements in cancer treatment and early detection on life expectancy by quantifying trends in LEL for different cancer sites.
- Researchers noticed a significant correlation between gains in life expectancy and advancements in screening, management, and treatment of these cancers.
Cancer is evolving into a chronic condition owing to advancements in treatment and early detection across various cancer types, like chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
To comprehend the augmented life expectancy resulting from these advancements, Theresa P. Devasia and the team aimed to assess the trends in the loss in expectation of life (LEL) attributed to a cancer diagnosis across six specific cancer sites spanning from 1975 to 2018.
Researchers performed an inclusive analysis focusing on patients diagnosed with female breast cancer, CML, colon and rectum cancer, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), lung cancer, or melanoma between 1975 and 2018 from nine Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer registries. Life expectancies for patients with cancer aged 50 and above were modeled using flexible parametric survival models. LEL was calculated as the disparity between the general population’s life expectancy and life expectancy for patients with cancer.
Researchers performed an inclusive analysis focusing on patients diagnosed with female breast cancer, CML, colon and rectum cancer, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), lung cancer, or melanoma between 1975 and 2018 from nine Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer registries. Life expectancies for patients with cancer aged 50+ were modeled using flexible parametric survival models. LEL was calculated as the disparity between the general population’s life expectancy and life expectancy for patients with cancer.
About 2 million patients were diagnosed with one of the six cancers between 1975 and 2018. Large increases in life expectancy were observed between 1990 and 2010 for female breast, DLBCL, and CML. Patients with colon and rectum cancer and melanoma had more gradual improvements in life expectancy. Lung cancer LEL only began decreasing after 2005. Increases in life expectancy corresponded with decreases in LEL for patients with cancer.
The study concluded that the reported gains in life expectancy largely correspond to progress in the screening, management, and treatment of these six cancers since 1975.
The study is sponsored by NIH AND HHS.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38015774/
Devasia TP, Howlader N, Dewar RA, et al. (2024). “Increase in the Life Expectancy of Patients with Cancer in the United States.” Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Feb 6;33(2):196-205. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-23-1006. PMID: 38015774; PMCID: PMC10872878.
