Cancer Death Rates Have Fallen 20% in 20 Years

Over a million lives saved

Cancer death rates have fallen by 20 percent from their peak two decades ago, according to the American Cancer Society. Data shows that from 1991 to 2009, 1.2 million lives were spared. “The big picture is that progress is steady, and for the four major cancer sites, progress is even more rapid,” said researcher Rebecca Siegel. The four major cancer sites are breast, prostate, colorectum, and lung. Specifically, death rates have dropped by more than 30 percent for colorectal cancer, breast cancer in women, and lung cancer in men, and by more than 40 percent for prostate cancer. Contributing factors include less smoking, earlier detection and better treatments. However, rates of certain cancers, including liver, thyroid, and pancreatic cancers, are on the rise. It is predicted there will be about 1,660,290 new cancer cases and 580,350 cancer deaths in the U.S. this year. (WebMD)

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