Community News

ATLANTA, GA – January 17, 2024 – According to a report released on January 17^th by the American Cancer Society, more Americans will get cancer than ever before; however, the mortality rate has continued its downward trend over the past 30 years. The death rate has dropped by one third. However, the incidence is increasing in 6 of the 10 most common cancers: uterine, pancreas, kidney, melanoma, prostate, and breast. The number of Americans diagnosed with cancer is predicted to exceed 2 million people in 2024.

The American Cancer Society publishes their cancer statistics report annually. This year’s report was obtained using incidence data from cancer registries (through 2020) and mortality data (through 2021). The data is extrapolated to predict future trends.

The 5-year survival rate, indicative of how likely someone can survive from cancer, has improved from 49% in the mid-1970’s to 69% between 2013 to 2019. The highest cancer survival rates are thyroid, prostate, and testicular. Cancers with the largest mortality rates are pancreas, liver, and lung. Cancers that cause the most deaths are lung, colorectal, and pancreas.

Obesity-related cancers such as pancreas, kidney, liver, and post-menopausal breast are increasing. This may be related to the obesity epidemic.

There is an increasing rate of colorectal cancer in young adults, but no one knows why. Twenty years ago, colon cancer was the 4^th leading cause of death in men and women. Now it’s the leading cause of death in men under 50 and the 2^nd leading cause of death for women under 50. Preventive screening is recommended to reverse this trend for people 45 and older and for younger people with a family history. The best test is a colonoscopy, but there are also stool-based tests available that are more convenient and cheaper.

While cervical cancer rates have increased among 30-to-44-year-old women, they are dramatically lower in women in their 20’s who were the first age group to get the HPV vaccine. The vaccine reduces the number of HPV infections, which is related to the development of genital warts and cervical cancer.

Racial and ethnic disparities exist in the cancer death rate although they have been reduced over the past 20 years. Blacks had a death rate that was 33% higher than Whites in 1993. This is down to 13% between 2013 and 2019. Prostate cancer rates in Black men are higher than in White men. Uterine cancer and breast cancer rates in Black women are significantly higher than in White women. Mortality rates for liver, stomach, and kidney cancers are higher in Native Americans compared to White people. The report feels that these disparities can be attributed to structural racism, uneven distribution of wealth, and disparate access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

Another highlight of the report is that the incidence of cancer in children has finally plateaued after many years of increase, although rates are continuing to increase in adolescents (ages 15-19).

Rebecca Siegal, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, said, “We’re encouraged by the steady drop in cancer mortality as a result of less smoking, earlier detection of some cancers, and improved treatment. But as a nation, we’ve dropped the ball on cancer prevention as incidence continues to increase for many common cancers.”

The American Cancer Society is a non-profit organization headquartered in Atlanta. Its mission “is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ASHEVILLE, NC –  January 24, 2024 – There is a surge of respiratory viral infections, like COVID-19, influenza (the flu) and RSV, as people spend more time indoors during the cold winter months and due to an increase in indoor gatherings and travel during the holidays. However, the COVID pandemic has made us aware that we can take steps to reduce spreading respiratory viruses. Therefore, we have to protect at-risk groups, like older adults and the immunocompromised, who remain susceptible to getting severely ill.

The COVID-19 metrics are on the CDC’s COVID Dashboard. For the week ending on January 13^th  

• Hospital admission levels are low in about two thirds of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in more than 60% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 5%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S. by about 10%, increased in North Carolina by about 3% and increased in Buncombe County by about 8% from the previous week.
• About 5% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd highest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This represents about 2% of all ER visits, the 2^nd lowest of 5 levels and a moderate decrease from the previous week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data for the week ending on January 10^th is on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard.

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has decreased from the previous week, at -99% to -10%, the lowest level of 2 groups for a negative rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on January 13^th indicates that levels are either high or very high for every southern state from California to the East coast, except for New Mexico. North Carolina is at a high level, the 4^th highest of 13 levels.

The CDC reports that the 3-week average for the RSV PCR test percent positivity in North Carolina had climbed to more than 10% from November 4^th to December 16^th reaching a peak of almost 15% around Thanksgiving. The most recent report on the week of January 13^th shows that percent positivity is down to about 5%.

The weekly North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard was last updated for the week ending on January 13^th. The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased by 25%. Hospital admissions have increased for COVID and decreased for the flu from the week before. There were more admissions for COVID than the flu.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC director, told Yahoo Life, if you are starting to feel sick with a cough, sore throat or fever: get tested, get treatment, and stay home.

Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells USA Today.com that COVID-19 cases should increase over the winter as they have the past 3 years.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC – January 10, 2024 – In data released on January 10^th by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), this year’s open enrollment for 2024 has resulted in about 20 million people signing up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. This is a new record for the third consecutive year. In 2020, just over 11 million people had enrolled in the health insurance marketplace. Last year, over 16 million people signed up. Open enrollment began on November 1^st and ends on January 16^th. The enrollment number will probably be much higher since it only represents activity through December 23^rd.

The health insurance marketplace was created by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 during the Obama administration and is commonly referred to as ‘ObamaCare.’ The marketplace is also called health exchanges. They are run by each state and allow people to purchase health insurance. The health plans are government-regulated and standardized to improve their affordability and health coverage. They are offered by commercial insurers that participate in the exchange. There are more insurers this year than at any time since the program became operational in 2014.

The purpose of the marketplace is to narrow the coverage gap between Medicaid, the government-funded health insurance for the under-resourced, and employer-sponsored commercial health insurance for workers. Before the creation of the ACA marketplace, millions of Americans were without access to healthcare. Uninsured Americans generally have poorer health than insured Americans.

The surge in enrollees in the health insurance marketplaces over the past few years coincides with the Biden administration trying to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, increase access to health care, and help keep Americans healthier. The cost of the insurance plans has been subsidized by the COVID-19 relief bill of 2021 by lowering premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The subsidies have been extended through 2025 with the Climate and Health Care Bill in 2022.

In a statement on January 10^th, President Biden said, “We must build upon this progress and make these lower health care premiums permanent.”

The Biden administration also increased efforts to get people to sign up. They worked with nonprofit organizations to encourage minority groups, mostly Black and Latino, to enroll. The administration earmarked almost 100 million dollars to increase hiring of navigators to help people enroll in the program.

Some of the new marketplace enrollees have lost their Medicaid coverage after the COVID emergency ended in 2023. Although open enrollment ends on January 16^th, persons who have lost their Medicaid insurance may be eligible to sign-up through the end of July.

Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services Secretary, said in a statement, “More people with access to preventive care means a healthier country and lower health care costs across the board.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

RALEIGH, NC – January 3, 2024 – On January 3^rd, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed January as National Radon Action Month to help educate people about how to reduce their risk of lung cancer from radon. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is providing 5,000 free radon test kits because testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk. Radon Action Month is recognized nationally during January.

Radon is a naturally occurring odorless and colorless gas that is released from the ground into the air. However, it can be trapped in closed buildings like homes. Therefore, people are at higher risk to develop lung cancer when it reaches harmful levels

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The cancer risk for smokers is increased by 10 times. According to data from the Radiation Protection Section of the NCDHHS, elevated radon levels are present in about 7% of homes in the state and in 73 of 100 counties.

High home levels of radon can be prevented with a home improvement by a certified radon specialist.

The radon test kits are available at radon.ncdhhs.gov. The kit is free, including the return postage.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]