ATLANTA, March 10 (UPI) -- By 2007, the number of U.S. cancer survivors grew to 11.7 million, up from 9.8 million in 2001 and 3 million in 1971, federal health officials said.
The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, defines cancer survivor as anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the balance of his or her life.
The study authors analyzed cases and follow-up data from NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program between 1971 and 2007.
"It's good news that so many are surviving cancer and leading long, productive, and healthy lives," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the CDC, said in a statement. "Preventing cancer and detecting it early remain critically important as some cancers can be prevented or detected early enough to be effectively treated. Not smoking, getting regular physical activity, eating healthy foods and limiting alcohol use can reduce the risk of many cancers."
The report also said:
-- Of the 11.7 million cancer survivors, 7 million were ages 65 years or older.
-- 54 percent of the survivors are women.
-- Breast cancer survivors are the largest group at 22 percent, followed by prostate cancer survivors at 19 percent and colorectal cancer survivors at 10 percent.
-- 4.7 million cancer survivors received their diagnosis 10 or more years earlier.
