CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Vol 39, 33-39, Copyright
© 1989 by American Cancer Society
Trends in Years of Life Lost to Cancer: 1970 to 1985
Curtis Mettlin PhD1
1 Chief of Epidemiologic Research and Director of Cancer Control at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York.
Standardized rates of years of life lost may be a particularly useful tool in future assessments of progress in cancer control. This measure provides insight into the magnitude of the impact of changes in patterns of mortality from cancer that may not be evident from other aggregate indices. The observed trends suggest that reductions in the cancer burden in the United States have been occurring steadily over the last 15 years. This trend compares favorably with the trend for heart disease, the other leading disease cause of premature death. The reduction in years of life lost results from improvements that occur at nearly every age level but that are particularly evident among children and young adults. Variations in rates of change are evident for different diagnostic categories. Years of life lost from respiratory cancer have increased, but dramatic reductions have occurred for genital cancers, leukemias, and lymphomas. These reductions in the cancer burden in the United States may be important signs that there have been improvements in the treatment of cancer.
