Robert A. Somer, MD
The July issue of South Jersey Magazine published an article about a startling new statistic indicating that cancer deaths could double in the next 20 years. According to the United Nations World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer, the number of annual diagnoses will increase from 12.7 million in 2008 to 21.4 million in 2030; the number of deaths will increase from 7.6 million to 13.2 million.
Robert A. Somer, MD, oncologist at Cooper, says that part of the reason those numbers appear so drastic is because of success in defeating other common health problems.
“What isn’t highlighted is the fact that my colleagues and other medical sub-specialties do such a good job of keeping patients alive longer,” says Somer. “We’re no longer dying from early heart disease, from stroke deaths, or from infectious disease, and we as doctors are better at screening for malignancies earlier, so people are living longer. As a function of that, more people are anticipated to be diagnosed with cancer.”
Cooper is working to develop more research among local hospitals in South Jersey. At any given time, Cooper hosts more than 50 clinical trials for various tumor types at different stages to find a more personalized approach to cancer treatment.