The 7 most curable cancers with better 5-year survival rates, from cervical cancer to Hodgkin lymphoma.
You get a biopsy done, come back to the doctor's office a week later, and hear those dreaded words, "You have cancer." This defining moment in your life can be earth-shattering as you start to think about radiation, chemotherapy, or taking other drugs for treatment. Although the incidence of cancer has grown in the U.S., not all cancers are deadly; some can be easily treated.
Some doctors have started to use another word for cancer: cure. Although there are no guarantees when it comes to cancer recovery, medical experts have found success in finding and treating some cancers. To determine the odds of survival for each cancer, doctors refer to the 5-year survival rate. This is the percentage of people who have been cancer-free 5 years after diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients may still die from cancer or have cancerous cells in their body, but they have better odds of recovery.
Below are the 7 most curable cancers with strong 5-year survival rates.
Cervical Cancer
5-Year Survival Rate: About 100 percentCervical cancer is one of the most treatable cancers because of the effective methods available to detect the cancer. The quick Pap test detects the presence of abnormal cells on the cervix before they're even cancerous. However, if cancer cells appear on the cervix, they're growing at a very slow rate. If these cells are diagnosed at a precancerous stage, they can be treated before they develop and spread.
Breast Cancer (Early stages of 0 and 1)
Breast Cancer (Early stages of 0 and 1)
5-Year Survival Rate: 100 PercentThere are two types of stage 0 in breast cancer: ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which occurs when breast cells develop in the breast ducts; and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), which occurs when abnormal cells develop in the lobules. In breast cancer stage 1, if the tumor is smaller than the size of a peanut (2 centimeters or smaller), it is very treatable and survivable. The survival rate is similar to stage 0: 100 percent, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Testicular Cancer
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5-Year Survival Rate: 95.3 percent
Doctors can cure testicular cancer during its early stages, or when the tumor hasn't spread to other body parts. Typically, doctors will perform surgery to remove one or both testicles that have a tumor. Most patients have one testicle removed, while the other will produce enough hormones for them to have sex, and reproduce. Surgery and a combination of radiation or chemotherapy is effective in eliminating cancer cells.
A 2014 article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology considers the advances in the treatment of testicular cancer one of the greatest achievements in medicine. This is particularly due to the approval of the chemo drug cisplatin in 1978, which boosted survival rates for this type of cancer. Although it's treated successfully in 95 percent of cases, early treatment can raise that rate to 98 percent, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
5-Year Survival Rate: 95.3 percent
Doctors can cure testicular cancer during its early stages, or when the tumor hasn't spread to other body parts. Typically, doctors will perform surgery to remove one or both testicles that have a tumor. Most patients have one testicle removed, while the other will produce enough hormones for them to have sex, and reproduce. Surgery and a combination of radiation or chemotherapy is effective in eliminating cancer cells.
A 2014 article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology considers the advances in the treatment of testicular cancer one of the greatest achievements in medicine. This is particularly due to the approval of the chemo drug cisplatin in 1978, which boosted survival rates for this type of cancer. Although it's treated successfully in 95 percent of cases, early treatment can raise that rate to 98 percent, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Prostate Cancer
5-Year Survival Rate: About 100 percentProstate tumors can grow at a slow rate, or don’t grow at all. These tumors are not deemed harmful enough to require treatment, with many men leading a normal life, without any complications. A 2016 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found no difference in survival rates among men who were randomly assigned to surgery, radiation or monitoring. Those who underwent surgery or radiation cut in half the risk that the disease would spread to bones and lymph nodes, compared with those who were simply monitored. Although treatment did not extend life during the first 10 years, a survival benefit may emerge in the next five or 10 years, according to the researchers.
Melanoma
Melanoma
5-Year Survival Rate: 91.5 percentMelanoma is considered to have a high survival rate, because it's usually very easy to spot while it's still in its early stages. You can check the skin for large, dark, oddly shaped, or raised blotches. The Skin Cancer Foundation says if it's not treated early, it can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes far more difficult to treat and can be fatal. It's important to check your back, scalp, scrotum, and in between your toes.
Thyroid (Depends on tissue type)
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5-Year Survival Rate: About 100 percent
The thyroid gland — located in your neck — helps produce hormones the body needs to burn calories, and control heartbeat. Papillary, the most common type of thyroid cancer, grows slowly. When tumors are large, or start to grow into other nearby tissues, doctors can treat and even cure the disease with surgery by removing the gland. Once the thyroid is removed, patients take medicine to replace the hormones the thyroid would make.
Hodgkin Lymphoma
5-Year Survival Rate: About 95 percent
Typically, some forms of lymphoma do not respond well to treatment, but Hodgkin lymphoma, characterized by Reed-Sternberg cells, is extremely curable. Patients diagnosed with early stages of this lymphoma have a survival rate of 90 to 95 percent, because it responds well to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. However, people diagnosed at later stages will still have a good chance at recovery. Patients who survive 15 years after treatment are more likely to later die from causes other than Hodgkin’s disease.
5-Year Survival Rate: About 100 percent
The thyroid gland — located in your neck — helps produce hormones the body needs to burn calories, and control heartbeat. Papillary, the most common type of thyroid cancer, grows slowly. When tumors are large, or start to grow into other nearby tissues, doctors can treat and even cure the disease with surgery by removing the gland. Once the thyroid is removed, patients take medicine to replace the hormones the thyroid would make.
Hodgkin Lymphoma
5-Year Survival Rate: About 95 percent
Typically, some forms of lymphoma do not respond well to treatment, but Hodgkin lymphoma, characterized by Reed-Sternberg cells, is extremely curable. Patients diagnosed with early stages of this lymphoma have a survival rate of 90 to 95 percent, because it responds well to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. However, people diagnosed at later stages will still have a good chance at recovery. Patients who survive 15 years after treatment are more likely to later die from causes other than Hodgkin’s disease.
6 Health Issues That Are Beginning To Strike Younger People
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Over time, some conditions and diseases may begin to affect different age groups, and the reasons why are not always clear. Sometimes it may be due to more awareness or better diagnostic tests while other times it may be caused by changes in behaviors or the environment. Six conditions are trending younger than in the past: sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), obesity, type 2 diabetes, eating disorders, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.STDs
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Current estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that young people between 15 and 24 acquire nearly half of all new STDs. In particular, rates of reported chlamydial infection continue to increase. During 2010 and 2011, rates increased 4 percent for those between the ages 15 and 19, and 11 percent for those between ages 20 and 24. Gonorrhea rates are also on the rise. During 2010 and 2011, gonorrhea rates remained essentially unchanged for people aged 15 to 19, yet increased by 5.8 percent for those aged 20 to 24. Overall, young women were hardest hit. In 2011, teen girls between 15 and 19 had the second highest rate of gonorrhea compared to any other age or sex group, while their slightly older peers — women aged 20 to 24 — had the highest rates of all. During 2010 and 2011, the gonorrhea rate for women in this age group increased by 5.4 percent. "It's been clear for many decades that girls are more vulnerable biologically [to STDs] due to the architecture of the cervix," Dr. Miriam Grossman, who worked as a counselor at UCLA, told Medical Daily. This part of the cervix is known as the transformation zone. "Simply put, in a younger girl or in a teenager there's going to be this area which is only one cell thick, as opposed to when she gets older, that area is replaced by many many layers of cells — 40, 50 layers of cells. So in order to cause an infection the virus or bacteria has to get through just one layer of cell, which is hardly even significant." To learn more, read Grossman's no-nonsense PDF Sense and Sexuality.High Blood Pressure
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Nearly one in three adults suffers from high blood pressure, yet a recent NIH-funded analysis indicates 19 percent of young adults have high blood pressure — a larger number of young adults than reported in previous years. As blood courses through your body, it exerts a force on the walls of the arteries and veins. This is blood pressure, which naturally rises and falls throughout your day. Lowest when you are sleeping, your blood pressure rises as you go about your day. Pressure that remains elevated over time causes the heart to pump harder and work overtime. This can lead to serious health problems, including hardening of the arteries, stroke, brain hemorrhage, kidney malfunction, and even blindness. For this recent analysis, the research team took blood pressure readings from more than 14,000 men and women between the ages of 24 and 32. While a past study recorded just 4 percent of adults between ages 20 and 39 with hypertension, this most recent survey came up with nearly five times that number. Possible causes of high blood pressure include too much salt, alcohol, smoking cigarettes, not enough exercise, and genetics.Eating Disorders
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The National Eating Disorders Organization reports 20 million American women and 10 million American men will suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their life. While eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder appear to be increasing in an older population, the trend line is also rising among younger age groups, as well. Across four continents, researchers report that anorexia nervosa, in particular, is an increasing problem in children and teens. Studies suggest that childhood anxiety may increase the likelihood someone will develop anorexia. In one genetic study of over 600 women, more than a third (39 percent) of women with a diagnosis of anorexia reported a previous history of overanxious disorder.Type 2 Diabetes
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In recent decades, the overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen steadily all around the globe. Previously, type 2 diabetes, which causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal, predominantly affected middle-aged and older people, yet over time the age of onset has decreased. Worldwide, type 2 diabetes is now being reported in teens and children. Japan, for instance, has seen about a fourfold rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes among its 6- to 15-year-olds, while in the United States, health authorities describe diabetes among children and teens as an "evolving epidemic." Previously, type 2 diabetes was described as "adult onset diabetes." Yet, about 3,700 people under the age of 20 are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. each year. Overall, the rate in children increased between 2001 and 2009 by 21 percent, which parallels the dramatic increase in obesity, the primary risk factor for the disease. The problem is particularly noticeable in indigenous peoples.Colorectal Cancer
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Cancer is considered a disease of the old. The three most prevalent cancers in 2016 among men are prostate (3,306,760), colorectal (724,690), and melanoma (614,460). For women, breast (3,560,570), uterine (757,190), and colorectal (727,350) cancers topped the list.Colorectal cancer in particular is most common among older adults. For this reason, screening commonly begins at age 50. However, colorectal tumors appear to be more frequent in people in a younger age group, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers looked at data from more than 393,000 people diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer between 1975 and 2010 and, based on the trends, they predicted that by 2030 the incidence rates among people between ages 20 and 34 will increase by 90 percent for colon cancer and by 124.2 percent for rectal cancer. Among people between 35 and 49, they predict the incidence rates will increase by 27.7 percent for colon cancer and by 46 percent for rectal cancer. Though no one understands exactly why younger people are more prone to colorectal tumors, obesity, a major risk factor, may be the underlying cause.Obesity
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More than a third of kids and teens were either overweight or obese in 2012. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in teens over the past 30 years. Doctors describe overweight as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or any combination of these factors, while obesity is defined as having excess body fat. The numbers are alarming. In 1980, only 7 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 were described as obese yet that number increased to nearly 18 percent by 2012. During the same time period, the percentage of obese teens rose from just 5 percent to nearly 21 percent. The CDC says being overweight or obese is caused by "caloric imbalance" — expending too few calories in comparison to how many calories are consumed. This is affected by personal behavior and the general environment as well as by genes.
source : Medical Daily (http://www.medicaldaily.com/)
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