Cancer Deaths Decline for Second Straight Year

美：癌症致死人数连续两年减少

　　The number of cancer deaths in the United States dropped in 2004 for a second straight year, the American Cancer Society reported today.

　　美国癌症协会今天报告说，美国癌症致死人数在2004年继续减少，这是继2003年以来连续第二年人数下降。

　　The finding suggests that a small drop reported last year for 2003 - the first in more than 70 years - was real, possibly the start of a continuing decrease and not merely a statistical fluke, the society said.

　　协会表示，这一结论显示，去年发布的2003年癌症致死人数出现70多年以来的小幅下降的报告是可靠的，也可能是人数继续下降的开始，而不仅仅是在调查中侥幸得出的数据。

　　From 2003 to 2004 cancer deaths fell by 3,014, considerably more than the previous year's decline of 369. （These are the latest years for which figures are available.）

　　2003-2004年中，癌症致死的人数下降了3014，在去年公布的数据上（2002-2003年的癌症致死人数）有了相当大的增加。（这是所有能够得到的数据中最新的数据。）

　　Much of the decrease was a result of reductions in smoking and improved detection and treatment of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers, the American Cancer Society said. By far the greatest decreases in mortality have been in colorectal cancer, with 1,110 fewer deaths in men and 1,094 fewer in women.

　　美国癌症协会把死亡人数的减少部分归结为减少吸烟和改善直肠癌、乳腺癌、前列腺癌的诊疗技术。就手头上的数据显示，人数减少最多的是因直肠癌致死的，其中男性死亡人数减少了1110人，女性减少了1094人。

　　Dr. Elizabeth Ward, a managing director in epidemiology and surveillance at the cancer society, said the biggest contributor to the decrease in deaths is the use of screening tests for colorectal cancer, which can detect the disease early when it is most treatable or even prevent it entirely by finding precancerous polyps, which can be removed before they turn malignant.

　　流行病学专业执行主任兼癌症协会监督伊丽莎白·沃德博士认为，死亡人数的减少最主要是由于在治疗直肠癌中使用了筛选测定法。这种方法使得在癌症在最可治愈的早期就被发现，甚至还能找到癌症早期出现的息肉，并在其转化成恶性肿瘤前将其切除，从而达到完全预防癌症的目的。

　　Progress on colorectal cancer has been notable even though only about half the adults who should be screened have undergone the needed tests. If more people were screened, there would likely be even steeper declines in death and the incidence of the disease.

　　尽管只有大约半数的需要进行筛选的成年人进行了必要的检查，但在直肠癌诊疗方面的进步还是令人瞩目的。如果更多的人参与到筛选中来，死亡人数和发病率可能下降的更多。

　　Dr. Alfred I. Neugut, the head of cancer prevention and control at Columbia University Medical Center, said colorectal screening was comparable to the Pap test, which led to an 85 percent decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer in this country

　　哥伦比亚大学医疗中心的癌症防控主管阿尔弗勒德·I·柳格特博士认为，直肠癌筛选测定法与帕番实验一样重要，帕番实验使美国的宫颈癌发病率减少了85%.

　　Improved treatment and drugs have also played a part in lowering the death rate from colorectal cancer, Dr. Neugut said.

　　柳格特博士表示，在直肠癌死亡人数下降的原因中，治疗方法和药物的改善也功不可没。

　　"There was a revolution in treatment between 1998 and 2000, and revolution is a mild word," Dr. Neugut said. "We went from having one drug to having six or seven good drugs. The cure and survival rates have increased dramatically as a result."

　　“1998年到2000年之间，直肠癌的治疗方法经历了一次革命。‘革命’还不足以显示其重要性，”柳格特博士认为。“我们从以前的只有单一的药物到有了六、七种好的药物。这大大提高了治愈率和病人的存活率。”

　　Although the drop in deaths is notable, it still pales in comparison to the total of 553,888 cancer deaths in 2004.

　　死亡人数的下降尽管令人瞩目，但在2004年全年553,888例因癌症死亡的总人数面前这也显得微不足道。

　　The death rate from cancer has been falling by slightly less than 1 percent a year since 1991, but until 2003 the actual number of deaths kept rising because the population was growing and aging. Then, in 2003, the cumulative drop in death rates finally became large enough to outpace aging and population growth.

　　自1991年开始，癌症死亡率以不到1%的比例逐年下降，但是直到2003年，因癌症致死的总人数一直保持上升因为人口的增长和老龄化的出现。随后，在2003年，一点一点累积起来的死亡率下降的速度终于超过了老龄化和人口增长的速度。 医学教.育网搜集

　　"The decline in the cancer death rates, which has ultimately resulted in a decline in the total number of deaths, really reflects the years of effort and investment in tobacco control, programs for early detection and screening, and programs in clinical and basic research," Dr. Ward said. "We've made a great deal of progress, but we still have a long way to go."

　　“癌症死亡率的下降最终导致了总的人口死亡率的下降，这确实是这些年在控制烟草、疾病早期诊疗与筛选项目和临床及基础研究项目上的努力和投资的反应，”沃德博士表示。“我们已经取得了许多成就，但我们还有很多事情要做。”

　　One area of great concern, Dr. Ward said, is that African Americans have markedly higher death rates than whites from nearly every type of cancer. Researchers do not fully understand why. Disparities in income, education and access to health care could account for much of the difference, but not all of it, researchers say.

　　沃德博士说，最让人关心的是非裔美国人在几乎所有种类的癌症中的死亡率都明显比白人高出很多。研究人员还没有完全找到原因。他们认为，收入、教育、医疗差距是死亡人数差距的一些原因，但不完全归结于此。

　　"If we really want to continue to make progress by applying what we know, we have to figure out a way to make sure to reach all populations with the information they need to prevent cancer and make sure that all populations have access to early detection and treatment - quality treatment - so that 10 to 20 years from now we don't see the same big differences," Dr. Ward said.

　　“如果我们真的希望利用我们所掌握的技术继续在癌症诊疗中取得进步，我们必须找到一种途径让所有人都能得到他们所需要的如何预防癌症的信息，并保证所有人都能够接受早期诊疗-高质量的治疗。这样，10到20年以后，这种差距就将不再会存在了，”沃德博士认为。

　　Originally, the new cancer figures were to be made public on Friday, but the cancer society changed the release date to today at the request of the head of the National Cancer Institute, who wanted the announcement to coincide with a visit by President Bush to the institute.

　　最初，新的数据本计划在星期五公之于众，但应美国国家癌症研究所主管的请求，为了配合布什参观，癌症协会将公布日期改到了今天。