Speaking at the National Press Club, Seffrin said these preventive measures,
along with better delivery of known treatments, are necessary for controlling
cancer in the next century.
“If we find a way to effectively deliver on everything we know regarding
cancer prevention, early detection and treatment, we can save more than
350,000 lives a year today,” he said.
“Clearly, preventing the preventable cancers would save the health
care system hundreds of millions of dollars and avoid the disabilities
that occur when active treatment is required,” he added.
Seffrin said that strict Food and Drug Administration regulation of tobacco
and support for the World Health Organization’s international tobacco
control treaty are some of the “important initiatives to save lives” that
the American Cancer Society supports.
“Ultimately, cancer’s conquest is as much a public policy
issue as it is a scientific and medical challenge,” he said.
Seffrin added that although cancer control programs have been shown to
save lives and lessen the burdens of the disease, few states have or fully
fund these programs.
As cancer becomes a more manageable condition in the Western world, the
disease is gaining a foothold in the developing world, where the annual
number of new cancer cases in the developing world may climb from six million
to 15 million by 2020, Seffrin said.
“The public health and economic impact of cancer [in these countries]
will be a one-two punch,” he said.
Seffrin cautioned that the fight against the disease will remain slow
and incremental.
“Even though we now have the best chance in history to control this
scourge … our understanding of the disease tells us there will be
no one single turning point, no three-inch headlines, no magic bullet,” he
said.
