Cancer Death Rates Dropping Fast

[TZ]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Good news on the cancer front: Death rates are dropping faster than ever, thanks to new progress against colorectal cancer.

A turning point came in 2002, scientists conclude Monday in the annual "Report to the Nation" on cancer. Between 2002 and 2004, death rates dropped by an average of 2.1 percent a year.

That may not sound like much, but between 1993 and 2001, deaths rates dropped on average 1.1 percent a year.

The big change was a two-pronged gain against colorectal cancer.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=106&sid=1268043
Around here it seems like we are always hearing bad news about health and medicine so I thought it would be nice to post something nice, for once.
Oh and for those who want to whine that "Big Pharma is suppressing cancer cures" let me just say that since cancer DOES NOT have one root cause and is very complex the idea that there is ONE thing that is going to cure all cancers is highly unlikely . Personally I think better prevention and better treatments, making cancer not so big a killer is a VERY good thing...:toast: to all the people who work hard to fight this deadly set of diseases!

[Cetacea]

1. Big pharma does nothing to encourage alternative cures,

But thanks for the information just the same. That is good news for sure.

[originalpckelly]

2. How is it that this is more acceptable than "intelligent design"?

Really, we don't trust science?

[Cetacea]

5. I'm nor sure what you are getting at.

I am not against science. I am just aware that politics and backstabbing are
as embedded in medicine and science as any other field. Maybe even more so.

[TZ]

9. most alternative medicine

is not based in sound scientific principle.

[Cetacea]

13. True, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater

or however the expression goes.

[soothsayer]

10. Well, chemo just tries to kill the cancer before it kills all your healthy cells (and you!)

so to me, we still don't have cures for cancer. Science knows how to do three things to cancer: surgery, radiation, and chemo. None of those treat the underlying causes, which is prolly why approximately 84% of the patients who are treated with these methods have a repeat cancer of one kind or another within five years. Good to see the drop in death rates, but I'd love to see a healthier and more focused prevention/treatment/cure.

[Odin2005]

4. Alternative "medicine is quackery.

[Cetacea]

6. Ok. Two-time Nobel Laurette Pauling was a quack. n/t

[TZ]

8. All that Vitamin C didn't stop him from dying of cancer

Sometimes scientists can be quacks outside of their specialties. I wouldn't take medical advice from a climate specialist on global warming, would you?

[Cetacea]

12. He died at 93 lol.

We should all be so fortunate.
By the way, he forty-year old theories about Vitamin c were validated two years ago.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=fbab2e56-d6c2-4238-8b39-e1f19ea7cf54

[soothsayer]

11. Sigh. Remember how long it took science to acknowledge vitamins?

Science is a real a-hole most of the time (and slowwwwwww! and they're proud of how slow they are, btw).

[Odin2005]

14. Right, and all the megadoses of vitamins the quacks promote are harmless?

:sarcasm:

Science is SUPPOSED to be slow because it's supposed to be careful, especially when it come to the things we eat.

[TZ]

7. Pharmaceutical companies

go with things that have shown scientific potential. Most "alternatives" have not (and yes there have been plenty of studies that show which herbs and alternative treatments are effective- and some of these altie "methods" are toxic too- ie laetrile which contains CYANIDE).
Remember that aspirin/salicylic acid is a derivative of willow bark. Many "drugs" are derived from the most active ingredient found in certain natural plants-purified and concentrated...

[lonestarnot]

3. Removing TCE from water might help too.

[CGowen]

15. Why do they have this picture and don't talk about it?

What is it, genetics? Nutrition? Or other factors?


Only this paragraph is mentioning it

The report includes a special focus on cancer among American Indians and Alaskan natives. Overall, cancer incidence is lower among those populations than among white Americans, except for cancers of the stomach, liver, kidney, gallbladder and cervix.