chemotherapy
Photo by Rhoda Baer
A new study shows that 5-year survival rates for US patients with hematologic malignancies have increased greatly since the 1950s, but there is still room for improvement, particularly for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Researchers found the absolute difference in improvement for 5-year survival from 1950-1954 to 2008-2013 ranged from 38.2% for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) to 56.6% for Hodgkin lymphoma.
And although the 5-year survival rate for Hodgkin lymphoma patients reached 86.6% for 2008-2013, the 5-year survival rate for patients with AML only reached 27.4%.
This study also revealed large disparities in overall cancer mortality rates between different counties across the country.
Ali H. Mokdad, PhD, of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington, and his colleagues reported these findings in JAMA.
Overall cancer deaths
The researchers found there were 19,511,910 cancer deaths recorded in the US between 1980 and 2014. Cancer mortality decreased by 20.1% between 1980 and 2014, from 240.2 deaths per 100,000 people to 192.0 deaths per 100,000 people.
In 1980, cancer mortality ranged from 130.6 per 100,000 in Summit County, Colorado, to 386.9 per 100,000 in North Slope Borough, Alaska.
In 2014, cancer mortality ranged from 70.7 per 100,000 in Summit County, Colorado, to 503.1 per 100,000 in Union County, Florida.
“Such significant disparities among US counties is unacceptable,” Dr Mokdad said. “Every person should have access to early screenings for cancer, as well as adequate treatment.”
Mortality rates for hematologic malignancies
In 2014, the mortality rates, per 100,000 people, for hematologic malignancies were:
- 0.4 for Hodgkin lymphoma (rank out of all cancers, 27)
- 8.3 for NHL (rank, 7)
- 3.9 for multiple myeloma (rank, 16)
- 9.0 for all leukemias (rank, 6)
- 0.7 for acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL)
- 2.6 for chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL)
- 5.1 for AML
- 0.6 for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
The leukemia subtypes were not assigned a rank.
5-year survival rates for hematologic malignancies
Hodgkin lymphoma
- 30% for 1950-54
- 68.6% for 1973-77
- 72.1% for 1978-82
- 86.6% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference (between the first and latest year of data), 56.6%.
NHL
- 33% for 1950-54
- 45.3% for 1973-77
- 48.7% for 1978-82
- 71.2% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 38.2%.
Multiple myeloma
- 6% for 1950-54
- 23.4% for 1973-77
- 26.6% for 1978-82
- 49.8% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 43.8%.
Leukemia
- 10% for 1950-54
- 34% for 1973-77
- 36.3% for 1978-82
- 60.1% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 50.1%.
ALL
- 39.2% for 1973-77
- 50.5% for 1978-82
- 68.1% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 28.9%.
CLL
- 67% for 1973-77
- 66.3% for 1978-82
- 82.5% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 15.5%.
AML
- 6.2% for 1973-77
- 7.9% for 1978-82
- 27.4% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 21.2%.
CML
- 21.1% for 1973-77
- 25.8% for 1978-82
- 66.4% for 2008-2013
- Absolute difference, 45.3%.
For the leukemia subtypes, there was no data for 1950 to 1954.
