Cancer Facts
Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.
Regular screening examinations by a health care professional can result in the detection and removal of precancerous growths, as well as the diagnosis of cancers at an early stage, when they are most treatable.
Cancers that can be prevented by removal of precancerous tissue include cancers of the cervix, colon, and rectum. Cancers that can be diagnosed early through screening include cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, oral cavity, and skin. For cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, and cervix, early detection has been proven to reduce mortality.
About 78% of all cancers are diagnosed in persons 55 years and older.
About 1.6 million new cancer cases were expected to be diagnosed in 2011. More than 20 million new cancer cases have been diagnosed since 1990.
One of every two men and one of every three women will get cancer in their lifetimes.
About 572,000 Americans were expected to die of cancer in 2011. In the U.S., cancer is the second leading cause of death, responsible for 1 in 4 deaths.
The Good News
The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 11.7 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive in January 2007.
The 5-year relative survival rate for female breast cancer patients has improved from 63% in the early 1960s to 90% today.
For all childhood cancers combined, the 5-year relative survival rate has improved markedly over the past 30 years, from less than 50% before the 1970s to 80% today, due to new and improved treatments.
V Foundation Facts
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary NC State basketball coach and ESPN commentator.
The V Foundation awards 100 percent of all new direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs.
The Foundation awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board comprised of some of the nation’s top doctors and scientists.
The V Foundation has raised more than $120 million, used to fund more than 400 cancer research grants nationwide.
The Foundation has awarded grants to over 100 institutions in 38 states and the District of Columbia.
Since 1994, The V Foundation awarded 238 V Scholar grants to promising young scientists nationwide in order to help them establish their laboratories. Of those V Scholars, 93 percent have received additional funding and are still working in independent labs. An additional five percent are currently working in related research.
[Cancer facts courtesy of “Cancer Facts & Figures 2011” by the American Cancer Society.]
