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Page 3 of 3 Cancer Statistics - Over 1.4 million new cases diagnosed every year,
- Plus 1 million cases of outpatient-treated skin cancer.
- In 2005, 4 million Americans were undergoing cancer treatment,
- Plus 4 million "in remission."
- 42% of Americans can expect to develop cancer in their lifetime.
- Today, 24% of Americans die from cancer -- a sharp contrast to 3% in 1900.
- Over 40% of those deaths will likely be from malnutrition, not the cancer itself.
Annually, in America, there are: - 50-million cancer-related visits to the doctor
- 1 million cancer operations
- 750,000 radiation treatments
In 1971, President Richard Nixon launched the "war on cancer,"
proclaiming a cure would be found within 5 years. Nearly 4 decades later, and: - More than $50 billion spent on research,
- $1 Trillion spent on therapy,
- More than 7 million "casualties,"
It is clear we certainly haven't won the war! For many cancers: Our 5-year survival rate from traditional therapies alone (radiation, surgery, chemo) is virtually the same as it was 30 years ago. Survival Rate Statistics - Surgery and radiation together in bladder cancer: 5-year survival rate = 27%.
- Radiation therapy in mouth cancer -- 5-year survival rate. = 20%.
If the results from traditional therapies were encouraging, then there would be no need for alternative therapies against cancer. Unfortunately, this is not the case. And in many instances, the treatment is worse than the disease. Common side effects of traditional treatments (Chemo & Radiation) - Chronic nausea, vomiting, hair loss, painful mouth sores, extreme fatigue, and depression as common side effects, and minimal improvements on lifespan.
- Long-term complications: toxicity to the heart, kidneys, bone marrow.
- While many children may recover from cancer, they are placed at much higher risk for getting cancer later in life from their cancer therapy.
- And if the cancer patient does recover from the disease, then recovering from the therapy may be even more challenging.
Why Do People Continue to Use Traditional Methods? - Surgery is the first treatment of choice for about 67% of cancer patients.
- Radiation is given to about 60% of cancer patients.
- Chemotherapy (a spin-off from chemical warfare used in World War I & II)
is now given to over 75% of all American cancer patients.
References 1 Quillin, Patrick PhD, RD, CNS. Beating Cancer with Nutrition. NY Times Press. 2005. 2 Fitzgerald, Randall. The Hundred-Year Lie. Penquin Books. 2006.
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