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Cancer Statistics

New Jersey Reports Improvements in Cancer Survival Rates

A Report from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Shows Significant Improvement in Cancer Survival Rates Health and Senior Services

December 4, 2006

Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, MD, announced today that New Jersey's five-year cancer survival rates rose significantly in the last two decades. As a result, cancer survivors now make up nearly 4 percent of the state's population, according to state estimates.

Despite the encouraging news overall, the report showed that disparities remain in survival between the state's white and black residents.

The statistics are contained in a new report Cancer Survival in New Jersey, 1979-1997 --- the state's  first comprehensive report on changing survival rates over time --- and Cancer Prevalence in New Jersey on Jan. 1, 2003, --- the first report to estimate the number of cancer survivors living in the state on a certain date.

"Since 1979, there has been extraordinary growth in both our understanding of cancer and our ability to detect and treat many types of the disease," said Jacobs.

According to the report, people with the most common cancer types --- breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer --- are living longer than they did 20 years ago, contributing to the higher overall survival rate.

Other report highlights include:

  • For 1994 to 1997, white men had a cancer survival rate of 63 percent, compared with 54 percent for black men;
  • During the same time period, white women had a survival rate of 60 percent, compared with 51 percent for black women;
  • The poorest survival rates were seen in pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer and lung cancer.

Both reports are available on the department's Web site.

http://www.nj.gov/health/ces/reports.shtml


Articles provided by various authors affiliated with the Monmouth Cancer Coalition.