Medically Reviewed by Swarna Nalluru, MD

It was 50 years ago when President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act and declared the “War on Cancer.” And while Congress increased funding for cancer research in 1971, the war wages on. Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide and the second leading cause of death in the US; more than 2 million new cancer cases and 611,000 cancer deaths are projected in the United States this year. These startling statistics raise an important question: why are cancer rates on the rise? According to leading medical experts, there are several possible reasons.

COVID-19 Led to Delay in Cancer Care

“In 2020, the diagnosis and treatment of cancer was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says McLeod Oncologist/Hematologist Dr. Swarna Nalluru. “There was reduced access to care because several healthcare facilities halted their services during that time to reduce infection transmission risk. This resulted in delays in diagnosis and treatment. Fewer patients underwent screenings during this time, as many opted to reschedule or completely forgo screening.”

People Living Longer, Require More Care

There is another reason for the rise in cancer cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency predicts the total number of cancer diagnoses will increase by almost 50% as a result of the growth in U.S. population and the fact that people are living longer. Experts believe the number of cancer survivors will reach 22.1 million by 2030.

Even Heroes Succumb to Cancer…

Both real-life hero Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and “reel life” hero Chadwick Boseman lost their lives to cancer. Boseman, an actor who played T’challa, the Marvel Universe superhero Black Panther, died at 43 due to colon cancer. This indicates how colorectal cancers are on the rise, especially in younger adults. Also, people of color are at increased risk for certain aggressive cancers for reasons not completely known.

While genetics is the usual go-to answer for cancers in younger folks, there are several other factors like sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, low-fiber, high-fat diets or highly processed foods and increased red meat consumption that have all been associated with this disease. All these risk factors are not solely associated with colon cancer. They also increase the risk of several other cancers.

Smoking is associated with lung, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, blood, cervical, head and neck cancers and many more. Research provides consistent evidence that obesity has been linked to higher risk of at least 13 types of cancer. Environmental factors like prolonged UV exposure increase the risk of skin cancers. Although newer treatments in melanoma have increased cancer control rates, prevention is always better than cure, right?

The Good News

Despite the increase in cancer rates, there are steps you can take to help reduce your risk of disease:

• Don’t use tobacco. Smoking has been linked to a number of different cancers. Ask your doctor about strategies for quitting.
• Eat a healthy diet. Choose high-fiber fruits and vegetables over processed foods.
• Maintain a healthy weight. By exercising regularly and choosing fewer high-calorie foods, you can control the numbers on the scale.
• Protect yourself from the sun. Skin cancer is one of the most common yet most preventable forms of cancer.
• Get vaccinated. HPV vaccination is proven to decrease risk of several cancers in both men and women. It can be given starting at the age of 9 years and up to 45 years. Speak to your doctor about it.
• Screenings save lives! Screening for colon cancer is recommended starting from the age of 45 years and can be considered earlier based on an individual’s medical history. Colonoscopy can not only help detect cancers early but also helps to nip them in the bud. Mammograms and low-dose CT scans are other screening procedures offered to detect breast and lung cancers in early stages, respectively. If there are cancers that run in your family, speak to your doctor about it. Based on the medical history and possible associated genetic conditions, other screening procedures might also be suggested.

Have a question about cancer? Ask a McLeod cancer specialist.