Archive for 2009

Benchmarks articles from the selected year appear below. To view articles from previous years, use the links to the left, and select the year you wish to see.

Keeping Tabs on Cancer Rates

Three women huddled around a computer screen, surrounded by SEER publications

The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer that was released today shows continued declines in both the rate of new cancer cases and the rate of cancer deaths in the United States over the past several years. The incidence data used in the report were gathered from population-based cancer registries that participate in the NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, and/or the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR). Information on mortality rates comes from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This article explores the role of population-based cancer registries.

Colorectal Cancer Treatment Options

chemotherapy drugs in vials

Colorectal cancer mortality rates have been declining in the last decade. Along with screening, advances in colorectal cancer treatment have played a pivotal role in reducing mortality rates. Surgery, traditional chemotherapy and newer targeted therapies have been important tools in treating this disease.

NCI Colorectal Cancer Research Funding

funding chart image

NCI funding for colorectal cancer research has increased from $103.2 million in fiscal year (FY) 1997 to $273.7 million in FY 2008. Funding for colorectal cancer in FY 2009 is estimated at $282.5 million and for FY 2010 is estimated at $290.9 million.