National Cancer Institute, Our Trusted Link for December 2021

 

National Cancer Institute

Since 1937, the National Cancer Institute has been the national leader in conducting cancer research, as well as training healthcare workers to diagnose and treat cancer.  Cancer was the first non-communicable disease for which research and treatment was funded by the U.S. government.  Now part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has the largest budget and research program within NIH: over $6 billion, with over 40% dedicated to research project grants. NCI supports and performs research on the causes, genomics, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.  Milestones include 1940: First issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (now independent of NCI) 1955: NCI created the Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program 1957: The first cancer, choriocarcinoma, was cured with chemotherapy at NCI 1960: NCI began funding government-supported cancer centers. 1971: The National Cancer Act of 1971 declares "war on cancer," creates the National Cancer Advisory Board, increases funding  1973: SEER program established to collect U.S. cancer statistics 1976: Cancer Information Service launched (800-4-CANCER)  1996: Office of Cancer Survivorship established 2016: Genomic Data Commons begins making cancer genomics data available to all researchers Moonshot: Launched by the Obama Administration, the National Cancer Moonshot is a $1 billion initiative to accelerate the development of new cancer detection and treatments.  History Project: Created to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Cancer History Project is a free historical resource.  The Most Active NCI Blogs Cancer Currents Cancer Prevention Science Cancer Data Science Pulse CGH Spotlight (from Center for Global Health) NCI Bottom Line (grants and training) Newsletters  CCR Milestones from Center for Cancer Research Global Health Activities from Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences DCEG Linkage from Division of Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology DCTD Pipeline News from Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis EGRP Cancer Epidemiology News Office of Cancer Genomics E-Newsletter Scientific News from NCI’s Behavioral Research Program Social Media at NCI YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Twitter for NCI Behavior Science Twitter for NCI Cancer Control Twitter for NCI's Health Information National Trends Survey

"NCI at a Glance" Infographic

EMT and Paramedic Pay in the Great Lakes States

Data made available earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that over 257,000 EMTs (emergency medical technicians) and paramedics were employed in the United States as of May 2020. The five Great Lakes states accounted for over 40,000 of those EMT and paramedic jobs. Other than in Illinois, which ranked among the ten best states in the nation for EMT and paramedic annual mean wages, the Great Lakes region is a generally weak one for EMT and paramedic pay.  The other four states in the region, which accounted for more than two-thirds of region's EMT and paramedic employment, all recorded an annual mean wage level for EMTs and paramedics that was below the national average. Moreover, two of those states ranked among the ten worst states in the country for EMT and paramedic annual mean wages. Further examination of May 2020 BLS data revealed the following about EMT and paramedic pay in the Great Lakes states:

EMT and Paramedic Pay in the Great Lakes States

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	12,410	$48,040	6th
IN	6,330	$36,360	36th
MI	6,880	$34,410	44th
OH	9,150	$34,680	42nd
WI	5,670	$36,790	32nd
U.S.	257,700	$40,370	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 10, 2021

Pharmacist Pay in New England

Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that there were more than 315,000 pharmacists employed in the United States as of May 2020.  Over 15,400 employed pharmacists lived in the six-state New England region.  Although Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire ranked about the eleven best states in the nation for pharmacist annual mean wages, the region was not a particularly good one for pharmacist pay, as nearly 80% of the region's pharmacists lived in states where the annual mean wage was below the national average.  A deeper dive into BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following about pharmacist pay in New England:

Pharmacist Pay in New England

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CT	3,420	$124,820	19th
MA	7,560	$121,450	32nd
ME	1,320	$134,100	4th
NH	1,300	$127,990	11th
RI	1,340	$115,050	50th
VT	530	$131,910	5th
U.S.	315,470	$125,460	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 2, 2021

Massage Therapist Pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

Recently published U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data indicated that, as of May 2020, over 85,000 massage therapists were employed in the United States.  At that time, more than 11,000 massage therapists were working in the Mid-Eastern U.S., a region that includes five states and the District of Columbia.  A closer examination at BLS data from May 2020 shows us the following about massage therapist pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.:

Massage Therapist Pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
DC	90	N/A	N/A
DE	N/A	N/A	N/A
MD	1,030	$46,880	20th
NJ	2,440	$46,280	24th
NY	5,180	$55,290	7th
PA	2,490	$46,700	22nd
U.S.	85,040	$47,350	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on June 5, 2021

U.S. Cancer Deaths by Region

Responsible for over 599,000 deaths in 2019 (about 21% of all U.S. deaths that year), cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country.  Thanks to advancements in diagnosis and treatment, the cancer death rate edged modestly downward in the twenty years from 1999 to 2019.  From 197.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999, the cancer death rate dropped to 182.7 deaths per 100,000 population by 2019.  The favorable national trend in the cancer death rate was mirrored in every region of the nation during the 1999 to 2019 period.  Further examination of data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics revealed the following details about U.S. cancer deaths by region (to see state level data, follow the "Area" links in the table below):

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
Far West	76,730	83,000	89,507
Great Lakes	93,654	93,550	95,015
Great Plains	39,166	39,702	41,404
Mid-East	99,319	93,994	90,941
New England	30,068	29,100	28,898
Rocky Mountain	13,171	14,813	17,318
Southeast	145,800	156,766	170,603
Southwest	51,930	56,703	65,915
Total	549,838	567,628	599,601
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
Far West	165.0	159.1	158.2
Great Lakes	208.3	201.8	202.6
Great Plains	204.7	194.7	193.2
Mid-East	215.4	196.1	186.1
New England	217.3	202.0	194.7
Rocky Mountain	144.8	137.2	139.7
Southeast	212.6	201.5	200.9
Southwest	168.5	153.7	155.7
Total	197.0	185.0	182.7

(*) number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on July 17, 2021