Types of Terminal Illness

Cancer survival rates have improved over the last 20 years, likely due to new treatments and advances in medical technology for detection. It was estimated that there were 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States as of January 2022, and projections suggest that there will be 26 million cancer survivors by 2040. Increased efficacy in cancer screening methods, a greater focus on survivorship care, and more consistent promotion of public health campaigns regarding the signs and symptoms of cancer are all factors that further support an increase in survival rates. 

As cancer survival rates have increased within the past two decades, cancer mortality rates have also decreased. Findings from the 2022 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer indicate a significant decrease in overall cancer mortality rates from 2015 to 2019. This decrease includes: 

• 2.3% per year among men 
• 1.9% per year among women 
• 1.5% per year among children ages 0-14 

According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of dying from cancer has decreased within the past 28 years. In review of the period from 1991 to 2019, the overall cancer mortality rate decreased by 32%. This decline seems to be influenced by an increase in the number of people with lung cancer who are living longer after being diagnosed during the early stages of the illness. Ultimately, the increase in the percentage of cancer survivors and the length of survival following diagnosis reflects an improvement in how cancer is diagnosed, treated, and understood. A greater shift has also occurred in providing more comprehensive support to individuals throughout their journey from diagnosis to survivorship.

Sources

“Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer.” National Cancer Institute: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. https://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/ 

“Cancer statistics.” National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics 

“Risk of dying from cancer continues to drop at an accelerated pace.” American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/research/acs-research-news/facts-and-figures-2022.html 

“Statistics and graphs.” National Cancer Institute: Division of Cancer Control & Population Sciences. https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ocs/statistics#

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the world due to the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet. It is a chronic disease in a group of disorders known as cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is estimated to cause 17.9 million deaths each year. Conditions such as high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes are all risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing heart disease.

Although unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and chronic diseases are the primary reasons that heart disease maintains the top position as the leading cause of death, there are likely other factors that influence its prevalence around the world. For example, individuals in low- and middle-income countries often have limited access to care, and this prevents them from receiving appropriate health screenings, treatments, interventions, and medications. Similarly, individuals who are outside of low-and middle-income countries are affected by limitations that are imposed by social determinants of health, such as low socioeconomic status, being uninsured, lack of community resources, stigma and other factors.

Ultimately, the drivers for heart disease as the leading cause of death worldwide are behavioral and socioeconomic. Greater efforts to spread awareness and public health initiatives emphasizing the need for healthy lifestyles, the reduction of social inequities, and an overall increase in access to quality care are necessary to combat the death rate attributed to heart disease. By addressing the causes of heart disease directly using a variety of approaches, we may be more likely to reduce its prevalence worldwide. 

Sources

“Cardiovascular Diseases.” World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1 

“Heart Disease Deaths.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/topics/heart-disease-deaths.htm