Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and contributes to the second most cancer-related deaths in men in the United States – and in North Carolina. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control. But in 2015, the cancer that killed the most North Carolinians: lung cancer.
In 2016, New Hanover County health officials reported that slightly more than twenty-two percent of deaths in both men and women that year were caused by cancer. The majority of cases one year earlier in the county were lung cancer. Breast cancer in women in 2015 was responsible for the second-highest number of deaths. Colon cancer came in third, and prostate cancer was fourth.
NPR reported earlier this month on a new study that shows the cancer gap between African-Americans and whites in the U.S. is shrinking. A recent analysis from the American Cancer Society shows four major cancers have declined more among blacks than among whites. But African-Americans are still dying in disproportionately large numbers from cancer when compared to other ethnic groups.
And cancer in millennials is on the rise – largely due to higher obesity rates. That’s according to a recent study published in The Lancet and reported on by Cancer Updates, Research, and Education.
On this edition of CoastLine, we look at what doctors are learning about causes and risk factors. We also learn about promising new treatments – including immunotherapy. And we hear about a clinical trial underway for those newly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
Guests:
Dr. Michael Papagikos, Radiation Oncologist, New Hanover Regional Medical Center
Dr. Lindsey Prochaska, Medical Oncologist specializing in breast cancer, NHRMC Physician Group – Cape Fear Cancer Specialists
