A new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that prevention and screening have been major contributors to saving lives in five common cancer types. The study, published on December 5, 2024, analyzed deaths from breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers over a period of 45 years.
Researchers used statistical models and cancer mortality data to estimate the relative contributions of prevention, screening, and treatment advances to deaths averted from these five cancers. The study found that prevention and screening interventions accounted for 80% of the deaths averted, while treatment advances contributed only 20%.
The individual contributions of prevention, screening, and treatment varied by cancer site. In lung cancer, prevention through tobacco control efforts accounted for 98% of the deaths averted, while in cervical cancer, all deaths were due to cervical cancer screening.
The study’s findings have significant implications for cancer prevention and treatment strategies. Dr. Katrina A. B. Goddard, director of NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, said, “These findings suggest that we need to combine effective strategies in prevention and screening with advances in treatment to reduce cancer death rates.”
The authors emphasized the importance of optimizing the uptake and use of prevention and screening for these five cancers, as well as developing novel prevention and screening strategies to avert deaths due to other lethal cancers.
Source: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/five-cancer-types-prevention-screening-have-been-major-contributors-saving-lives