U.S. cancer death rates decline, annual report shows

As the world continues to wring its hands, and sneeze into its elbows, amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, Americans were on the receiving end of some welcome health news recently.

On Thursday (March 12), the annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, published in the journal Cancer, revealed that cancer death rates in the United States declined on average 1.5% per year from 2001 to 2017.

According to a summary of the report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the decreases were seen in all major racial and ethnic groups, all age groups, and among both men and women. The decreases were, however, more rapid among men (by 1.8% per year) than among women (1.4% per year).

According to the CDC, the report also found that between 2013 and 2017:

• Among men, death rates decreased for 11 of the 19 most common cancers, were stable for four cancers (including prostate), and increased for four cancers (oral cavity and pharynx, soft tissue including heart, brain and other nervous system, and pancreas).
• Among women, death rates decreased for 14 of the 20 most common cancers, including the three most common cancers (lung and bronchus, breast, and colorectal), but increased for cancers of the uterus, liver, brain and other nervous system, soft tissue including heart, and pancreas. Rates were stable for oral cavity and pharynx cancer.
• Overall cancer death rates among children ages 0 to 14 years decreased an average of 1.4% per year. Among adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39 years, overall cancer death rates decreased an average of 1.0% per year.
• Melanoma death rates decreased 6.1% per year among men and 6.3% per year among women.
• Lung cancer death rates decreased 4.8% per year among men and 3.7% per year among women. However, lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer death, accounting for about one-fourth of all cancer deaths.

“The United States continues to make significant progress in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “While we are encouraged that overall cancer death rates have decreased, there is still much more we can do to prevent new cancers and support communities, families, and cancer survivors in this ongoing battle.”

The  annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer is a collaborative effort of the CDC, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

The data analyzed in the report combines cancer incidence data collected by CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, as well as mortality data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.