The Top 3 Deadly Cancers In Massachusetts

My wife died from triple negative breast cancer in 2020, my father of prostate cancer in 2018, so naturally my quest to know more about the disease is a reality. Although cancer death rates are trending in the right direction, cancer diagnoses are rising.

Cancer in Massachusetts

Deaths are down 33% since 1991, diagnoses are UP.

More people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, experts say. Deaths from cancer have declined by 33% since 1991, averting 4.1 million deaths. However, more people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, and at an earlier age, according to a major new report from the American Cancer Society. -abcnews.com

The Top 3 Deadly Cancers in Massachusetts

Colorectal Cancer - 5 year rate of survival is just 13% when metastatic

A big concern right now for Massachusetts is colorectal cancer in young people under 50, in particular men. The age of recommendation for a colonoscopy is now 45, it was previously 50. If you've got a family member who was diagnosed with colon cancer at 50 or before, the recommendation is age 40 for your first colonoscopy. A number of people with colon cancer had a genetic predisposition to it.

Breast Cancer - 5 year rate of survival is 13% when metastatic

The second leading cancer death in women. 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Massachusetts has the 13th highest rate of breast cancer.

There are a few types of breast cancer, with triple negative being the most aggressive and a very high death rate when metastatic. 12% of breast cancers are triple negative, the type where it tests negative to three markers that can potentially detect the origin of the disease.

Lung Cancer - 5 year rate of survival is 26%

The lung cancer rate in Massachusetts is 59.5 per 100,000 people.

While surgery may not be an option for every patient, those who receive it as part of their initial treatment have higher survival rates than those who do not. Patients who are not healthy enough to undergo the procedure or whose cancer has spread too far, may not be candidates for surgery. Other treatments may be recommended instead of or in addition to surgery, such as chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy or immunotherapy. -lung.org

Smoking is still the number one cause of lung cancer.