Cancer Deaths Drop

Submitted by ub on

Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and sometimes spread to other physical parts. 

From its peak in 1991, the combined cancer death rate fell 33 percent by 2020, the most recent year for which data were available. This reduction in deaths from cancer has averted an estimated 3.8 million deaths 2.6 million in men and 1.2 million in women.

Deaths from all types of cancer in the US fell by an estimated 33% since 1991, saving a cumulative 3.8 million lives, according to a report released yesterday by the American Cancer Society. Progress was attributed to improvements in cancer treatment, early detection, and significant drops in smoking.

Lung, breast, and colorectal cancers account for the highest number of deaths in women. However, cervical cancer rates have dropped 65% among women ages 20-24 from 2012-19, primarily credited to the introduction of the human papillomavirus or HPV vaccine. For men, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers are the deadliest. The report highlighted a 3% increase in prostate cancer from 2014-19, driven by an increase in advanced disease diagnosis. ACS announced an initiative to increase access to screening and treatment for prostate cancer to combat the rise.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the US, with more than 1.9 million people expected to be diagnosed with cancer resulting in an estimated 610,000 deaths this year. See the full report here.

Cancer Cases Plummet https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer

SCIENCE https://science.doseofnews.com/

HEALTH https://health.doseofnews.com/

The Cancer Society's annual statistics report shows that the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined has increased from 49 percent in the mid-1970s to 68 percent from 2012 through 2018. https://www.cancer.org/