Lung cancer deaths are on the decline across the U.S., most likely due to a reduced smoking prevalence.
Lung cancer accounts for one in every four cancer deaths, but its dropping at a faster pace than has been seen in previous years, the National Cancer Institute reported. The findings are part of The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer,
Colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer death rates have also been on the decline for the past two decades. Death rates from cancers of the livers and pancreas have been increasing in both sexes; there has been a rise in uterus cancer deaths in women and melanoma deaths in men.
Death rates for all cancers decreased by 1.8 percent among men and 1.4 percent in women between the years of 2001 and 2010; death rates among men decreased for 11 of 17 of the most common cancers ("lung, prostate, colon and rectum, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, esophagus, kidney, stomach, myeloma, oral cavity and pharynx, and larynx"). Cancer deaths decreased in 15 of the 18 cancers most commonly affecting women ("lung, breast, colon and rectum, ovary, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, brain, myeloma, kidney, stomach, cervix, bladder, esophagus, oral cavity and pharynx, and gallbladder").
The report found lung cancer deaths for men dropped by 1.9 percent per year between 1992 and 2005 and fell by 2.9 percent between 2004 and 2010; for women lung cancer death rates declined by 1.4 percent per year between 2004 and 2010.
"The sustained fall in death rates for most cancers is an important indicator of our success in controlling this large set of complex diseases but is not as fast as we'd like," said NCI Director Harold Varmus, M.D. "In addition, the Report emphasizes the need to consider the entire health status of cancer patients since many have other significant medical conditions that may affect their survival."
