The number of cases among people aged 75 and up could triple, from 389,000 in 2000 to more than 1.1 million, the report estimates. "Among even older Americans the increased caseload could be more dramatic: a fourfold jump for those 85 and over during the next four-odd decades," reports HealthScoutNews. The number of people older than 65 is expected to double by 2050, to 80 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Martin Brown, an NCI researcher who studies the economic burden of cancer, has estimated that treatment of the disease and other expenses ran to nearly $157 billion in 2001.
Moderator Comment: How will increased cancer rates affect the role of pharmacists? What are the broader implications for retail from a whole health program standpoint?
An increase in cancer cases has enormous implications for the health care system in the United States. Pharmacists and store associates are likely to encounter questions from consumers on everything from the efficacy of a shark cartilage product to the effects of chemotherapy. [George Anderson - Moderator]