Easton Webster - American Cancer Society

For my community trends assignment, I contacted the American Cancer Society to find out more specific trends about cancer. I spoke to a really nice man who then told me the best way to find the information was for him to email me some different documents that I could look at and research. I will include the URL to each document that I used to ensure that credit is given where it is due, and I don’t take any ownership for any of this information.

1. One of the trends going on in research funding is that funds for Cancer Research in 2010 were slightly lower than those in 2009. The reason for this is because of decreased public support, which influences the funds raised for research immensely. Another reason is the economic struggles that our country is facing - people are less likely to donate when they are hurting for money. From 2004 - 2008 the funds went up each year (in millions - 120.4, 121.3, 136.4, 146.9, 156.4), but 2009 and 2010 decreased (149.8, 148.6) due to the reasons above. These numbers include all research department salaries, functional allocations, and operating expenses. http://documents.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002006-pdf.pdf
2. Another trend going on in research funding is how the money is actually used. In 2010, 42.6% of the total research budget went to basic science ($52,217,153), 14.6% went to preclinical research ($17,903,000), 7.2% went to clinical research ($8,868,830), 8.8% went to epidemiology ($10,784,257), 16.9% went to psychosocial and behavioral ($20,695,224), 9.6% went to health policy or services ($11,711,369), and .3% went to evaluation and analysis ($327,021). According to the document, the funds allowed for basic research increased by 7% from 2009, but there were decreases in the areas of preclinical and epidemiological research. Overall, there was about a 6% decrease in funding in areas that are non-basic research areas once the category of evaluation and analysis was added. This shows that research that is being done to understand the basic nature of cancer is the most important and most emphasized area as opposed to other areas of cancer research. http://documents.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002006-pdf.pdf
3. Another trend in the area of cancer research is funding in society priority areas across the cancer continuum. In priority areas, about $32 million was used for breast cancer research, about $19 million was used for research targeting the poor and medically undeserved, around $14 million for colorectal research, and around another $14 million for lunch cancer research. Funding for breast cancer and disparities, health policy and services, early detection, psychosocial and behavioral, childhood cancer, and major organ sites all went up in 2010 from 2009. However, there were decreases in the areas of colorectal cancer, lung cancer, quality of life, survivorship, end of life, treatment, cause/etiology, prevention research, environmental carcinogenesis, epidemiology, melanoma, lymphoma, prostate, and ovarian cancer research. It is interesting to learn about which areas of cancer research are more prevalent and fruitful in their labors than others, and how the money is spread out in each area to be most useful to researchers. http://documents.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002006-pdf.pdf
4. Another trend going on in the cancer field is that the cancers that are most likely to affect women are breast, colorectal, endometrial, lung, cervical, skin, and ovarian. Since breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that any given woman could face, I thought I would focus on it since it’s such a prevalent trend. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer that a woman could contract, and to avoid serious complications every woman should have a mammogram every year starting at age 40, have a regular breast exam by a doctor around every three years, and be able to tell when their breasts do not look or feel normal so that they can report any changes right away. The best way to find breast cancer is early detection, so taking advantage of these early measures is extremely important in keeping women healthy and safe. http://documents.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003236-pdf.pd
5. Lastly, a trend going on in the cancer society is that the cancers that most often affect men are prostate, colon, lunch, and skin. Prostate cancer is extremely common in men older than the age of 65, and is more prevalent among African American men than white men. In order to detect and prevent prostate cancer, men should consult with their doctors as they get older and decide if they should be tested or not. Another interesting fact is that there are several lifestyle factors that can lead to a man having colon cancer. These can be having a diet of high-fat foods, being overweight, smoking, and being inactive. http://documents.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003237-pdf.pdf