Estimate says cancer diagnosis likely to rise in Arkansas
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Arkansas will likely see an estimated 19,100 new cancer diagnoses this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Context: That's up from the 18,670 cases the organization estimated for 2023.
The big picture: New cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are expected to top 2 million for the first time in 2024, driven in large part by an alarming increase in cancers among younger Americans, Axios' Tina Reed writes.
State of play: The U.S. cancer death rate has been cut by a third in the last 30 years, partly because of improved screening, a sharp drop in smoking and more effective treatments against certain cancers.
Yes, but: There's a rise in some cancers at the same time doctors are trying to figure out why they're seeing more young patients with cancer.
- The proportion of people 65 and older diagnosed with cancer dropped from 61% to 58% in the last 30 years. The proportion of those diagnosed between ages 50-64 was largely stable.
- "Notably, people aged younger than 50 years were the only one of these three age groups to experience an increase in overall cancer incidence during this time period," the ACS report said.
Zoom in: ACS predicts breast, lung and prostate cancers will be the most commonly diagnosed in Arkansas in 2024.