best gains in cancer survival seen in blood cancers

by pamela fayermanmore than 2,400 b.c. residents will get a form of blood cancer this year, but the canadian cancer society says in its annual statistical report that the best gains in cancer survival in the past two decades have been in those types of cancers.that’s music to patrick gilmore’s ears.the vancouver resident was diagnosed with his blood cancer — mantle cell lymphoma — in 2014. he’s likely experienced every nasty side-effect of cancer treatment and a return of cancer last spring after a period of remission. he’s now on a new oral targeted therapy drug called ibrutinib that is controlling his cancer so well that he has returned to work. he began taking the drug when his cancer recurred after a three-year remission.gilmore said after swollen lymph nodes in his neck appeared in 2013, an initial diagnosis took five months longer than he would have liked because of delays in getting conclusive tests ordered and interpreted. in 2014, he began chemotherapy. later that year, he had a stem-cell transplant.“that kicks the crap out of you. i was in the hospital for six weeks and had numerous complications. my wife is a nurse and she has taken really good care of me,” said the 59-year old account manager at ritchie bros. auctioneers.after his cancer came back in may 2018, his oncologist at b.c. cancer sought special permission to put him on ibrutinib, which costs the province $110,000 a year for each patient.gilmore said he’s grateful for the effect the four tablets a day is having. side effects can be harsh “though manageable.”“my attitude is you just have to do what the experts tell you to do. forget the alternative stuff like cannabis or whatever else.”

the canadian cancer statistics report is a collaboration between the cancer society, the public health agency of canada and statistics canada.it shows five-year survival rates from common types of blood cancers — including leukemia, non-hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma — have increased up to 19 percentage points in the past 20 years, more than any other group of cancers.by comparison, overall survival from all types of cancer has risen only eight per cent — from 55 per cent to 63 per cent in nearly 30 years.the improvements being made in blood cancers are remarkable, dr. leah smith, senior manager of cancer surveillance, said in a cancer society press release. she attributes that to research and personalized medicine, also called precision medicine. that includes therapies like stem-cell transplants and new drugs like the one gilmore is on that are matched to an individual patient’s unique tumour genes.the report highlights the positives and negatives when it comes to cancer incidence and deaths. pancreatic cancer, despite being the 11th most common type in b.c., will claim the third-highest number of lives from cancer this year, predicts the report. pancreatic cancer surpasses breast cancer as the third leading cause of cancer death in b.c. and across canada.it’s estimated that nearly half of all canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. in 2019, 26,800 b.c. residents are expected to be diagnosed with cancer. among men, prostate cancer is the most common, followed by colorectal, lung and bladder cancers. in women, breast cancer is the most common, followed by lung and colorectal cancers. among both men and women, lung cancer will be the leading cancer killer in b.c., claiming 2,500 lives, while colorectal will be second, taking 1,370 lives. pancreatic cancer will kill 655 individuals.pancreatic cancer is usually detected late because of its only-faint signs and symptoms in early stages. only about half of individuals survive past four months and five-year survival is only about eight per cent. while genetic problems are the most common cause, pancreatic cancer is more likely in those who are obese, have diabetes or smoke. up to 80 per cent of those with pancreatic cancer are either pre-diabetic or newly diagnosed with diabetes.in a recent study on mice, university of b.c. researchers discovered a link between high insulin levels and pancreatic cancer.sandra krueckl, a vice-president of the cancer society for b.c. and yukon, said the focus on pancreatic cancer is intended to draw more attention to a dreaded, deadly disease that desperately needs more research funding. the cancer society contributed $1.7 million to a variety of studies on pancreatic cancer last year.pfayerman@postmedia.com | twitter.com/medicinematters

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notable figures in the annual cancer report

• cancer is the leading cause of death in canada.• 220,400 canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in 2019.• five-year survival from cancer has risen to 63 per cent, an eight-percentage-point increase from nearly 30 years ago.• deaths from breast cancer have declined by about 48 per cent since they peaked in 1986.individuals who want more information can call the canadian cancer society’s information line at 1-888-939-3333.