A new report estimates that pancreatic cancer will take over second place on the list of leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States by the year 2030. The data suggests that demographic changes in the population, and advances in treatment for some types of cancer, may create a shift in the overall cancer statistics.
The American Cancer Society, however, notes that diagnoses of pancreatic cancer among Americans have been on the rise for 15 years. The lead author of the recent report, which was published this month in a journal associated with the American Association for Cancer Research, says that pancreatic cancer can be difficult to detect.
Current scanning technologies have difficulty capturing images of pancreatic tumors. Treatment generally requires surgery, although the Social Security Administration notes that, depending on the specific type and stage of pancreatic cancer, some patients may also be treated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Pancreatic cancer is generally considered a disabling disease. The SSA has included pancreatic cancer on the list of conditions recognized under the Compassionate Allowances Initiate. The initiative is associated with both Social Security disability benefits and the Supplemental Security Income program, which are each administered by the SSA. As we reported in January, the list of qualifying conditions under the initiative has now reached 225.
Compassionate Allowance conditions are generally those medical conditions that the SSA has determined to be serious enough that the agency has deemed that the conditions meet the definition of disability for the two premiere disability benefits programs. Our San Diego readers likely understand that low-income residents of
California who have a disabling condition may qualify for Supplement Security Income. The definition of disability used in the SSI program is the same as that which is used in the SSDI program.
Source: CNN, “Report: Pancreatic cancer second most deadly by 2030,” Jacque Wilson, May 19, 2014