The numbers are stark and will touch every single American.
A picture of cancer in the greying American population was drawn in a recent study in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology examining trends in the National Cancer Institute’s population-based SEER data:
The number of “oldest of the old” Americans (age 85 or older) will double between 2000 and 2030; and will have tripled by 2040 (from 4.3 million to 15.4 million).
- Cancer in the oldest old is the 2nd leading cause of death: More than 1 in 5 over age 85 will develop cancer.
- The total cost of cancer care will rise 39% in just 10 years, between 2010 and 2020—much of that cost in care for elderly.
- Among those age 85 or above, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer.
That’s some of the bad news. But the recent story of colorectal cancer, ironically, also brings a ray of hope. Read the rest of this entry »

