Cancer has been a worldwide, lethal epidemic for centuries. In the United States, cancer is the second leading cause of death, surpassed only by heart disease. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the most accurate way to measure our progress in battling cancer is actually by measuring cancer death rates; this is because death rates are less influenced by detection methods than rates of cancer incidence and survival. Here in the United States, the rate of age-adjusted cancer deaths continually rose throughout the 20th century, peaking in 1991 at 215 cancer-related deaths per 100,000 individuals. This alarming peak has been largely attributed to the tobacco epidemic, a trend that is now in decline. Data from 2016 showed that the rate of cancer-related deaths in which tobacco also played a key role declined by 27%; however, this isn’t just due to a reduction in smoking: we also have new early detection technology and treatment methods to thank.
Where do we currently stand in the fight against cancer? The ACS predicts that there will be over 1.7 million new cases of cancer diagnosed this year alone; of that number, about 606,880 individuals will not live to 2020. In addition, of those 1.7 million new cases, about 174,650 individuals will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. And out of those cases, approximately 31,620 will be lethal.
Here at Ezra, we provide men with accurate, painless, and quick prostate cancer screening services. One of the keys to preventing more cancer-related deaths from occurring is early detection; our novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) and MRI technology, and staff of experts can help you stay vigilant about your health without the quintessential invasive prostate exam routines used today. As of 2016, the rate of prostate cancer mortality has gone down by 51% since 1993. Together, we can continue to decrease that rate.
