Letters to the Editor: Do yourself a favor — call your doctor ‘Doctor.’ A physician explains why we may need to take medicine. You don’t need to hear about side effects. Please let a doctor manage your health.
Friday, October 30, 2008
Gulf Coast’s cancer rates highest in nation
According to a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, cancer rates in the Greater Houston area are the highest in the nation – and are increasing as we have a higher birth rate.
The study found that the age-adjusted rate of women with breast cancer was highest in Greater Houston (42.0 per 100,000), followed by Harris County (38.8 per 100,000) and Montgomery County (37.5 per 100,000). In men, the age-adjusted rate of men with prostate cancer was highest in Greater Houston (28.6 per 100,000), followed by Harris County (26.1 per 100,000) and Montgomery County (26.0 per 100,000).
Of those diagnosed, 43.7 percent had early stage disease. However, 27 percent of the men with early stage prostate cancer did not receive treatment for it.
This study proves that birth rates are an important factor in cancer deaths. It also says that Houston has the highest cancer deaths in the nation which is true of all large cities.
The research team says their findings “support the argument for more active prevention and detection strategies that focus on early detection and increased use of screening methods for breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.”
More screening for early stage breast cancer – mammography – is one way to reduce the deaths due in part to breast cancer.
If your doctor wants to increase his/her practice, he/she would do well to look at these statistics:
Aging is the leading cause of death among U.S. women. A 2002 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the death rate from ovarian cancer rose 2.3 percent for women age 80 and older. This increase was even more dramatic for women with stage IV disease: Their age-adjusted death rate rose 18.9 percent and
