Cancer makes less years of life to lose

In the medicine world, there`s a question related to the fact if it`s true that cancer mortality rates modestly declines, compared to mortality rates from other conditions which substantially declines. A new paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology gives an obvious yes to this unanswered question so far. The lead author of the study is Samir Soneji, PhD, assistant professor for Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. Soneji, in collaboration with his colleagues, Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez, PhD and Harold C. Sox, MD examined the effects of preventing, screening and treating cancer. They used measuring techniques which involve both changes in mortality rates caused by other factors and mortality rates caused by cancer. “We have underestimated the progress because, as fewer and fewer people die from heart disease, stroke and accidents, more and more people are living longer and having more years in which to develop and die from cancer”, said Soneji.