Cancer deaths down 33% since 1991.

Cancer Deaths Plummet

1440 Daily Digest

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, largely 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. To combat the rise, ACS announced an initiative to increase access to screening and treatment for prostate cancer.

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.

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21763