Good news as the death rate from cancer dropped 27-percent during the past 25 years, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. The statistics show that 2.6 million deaths have been avoided from 1991 to 2016.
Some of the factors that contributed to the decline in the cancer death rate include reduced smoking and advances in early detection and treatment. Lung cancer deaths among men declined 48 percent from 1990 to 2016 and dropped 23-percent for women from 2002 to 2016.
Still, lung cancer, which is the number one cancer killer, accounts for 25-percent of all cancer deaths. The report notes that “women began smoking in large numbers many years later than men and were slower to quit.” Breast cancer death rates also declined 40-percent from 1989 to 2016 among women. Improvements in early detection are credited for that decline.
One glaring issue uncovered by the report is that there's a large disparity in treatment and success rates between the rich and poor. African American patients also have worse overall outcomes.