Cancer Rates Continue to Decrease
The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2006" found continued declines in overall cancer rates.
According to a new report from the nation's leading health and cancer organizations, rates of getting cancer and dying from cancer declined in the most recent time period for men and women overall and for most racial and ethnic populations in the United States.
The overall cancer incidence rate (number of people who get cancer out of every 100,000 people) and death rate (number of people who die from cancer out of every 100,000 people) have dropped mostly because the rates for the three most common cancers in men (lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers) and for two of the three leading cancers in women (breast and colorectal cancers) have dropped.
The incidence rate for all types of cancer combined in the United States decreased, on average, about one percent per year from 1999 to 2006. The death rate decreased 1.6 percent per year from 2001 to 2006.
The continued declines in death rates for all cancers combined likely reflect the impact of increased screening, reduction of risk factors, and improved treatments. Differences in death rates by racial or ethnic group, sex, and cancer site suggest differences in risk behaviors, socioeconomic status, and access to and use of screening, treatment, and other health care.
Source: Edwards BK, Ward E, Kohler B, Eheman C, Zauber AG, Anderson R, Jemal A, Schymura MJ, Lansdorp-Vogelaar I, Seeff LC, van Ballegooijen M, Goede SL, Ries LA. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975-2006, featuring colorectal trends and impact of interventions (risk factors, screening, and treatment) to reduce future rates. Cancer 2009; in press.
Prevention
The number of new cancer cases can be reduced, and many cancer deaths can be prevented. Research shows that screening for cervical and colorectal cancers as recommended helps prevent these diseases by finding precancerous lesions so they can be treated before they become cancerous. Screening for cervical, colorectal, and breast cancers also helps find these diseases at an early, often highly treatable stage.
A person's cancer risk can be reduced by receiving regular medical care, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol use, avoiding excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and tanning beds, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, and being physically active.
Vaccines also help reduce cancer risk. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine helps prevent most cervical cancers and some vaginal and vulvar cancers, and the hepatitis B vaccine can help reduce liver cancer risk. Making cancer screening, information, and referral services available and accessible to all Americans can reduce cancer incidence and deaths.
Data source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999-2006 Incidence and Mortality pre-release data. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2009.