Overall cancer death rates declining in US, report finds

Overall cancer death rates continue to decline in the U.S., a National Cancer Institute report found, with the most notable decreases found across lung cancer and melanoma fatalities.

"It is encouraging to see a continued decline in death rates for many of the common cancers," said Karen Hacker, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "To dismantle existing health disparities and give everyone the opportunity to be as healthy as possible, we must continue to find innovative ways to reach people across the cancer care continuum — from screening and early detection to treatment and support for survivors." Experts involved in the report noted that the deceleration of previous declining trends in colorectal cancer and female breast cancers are likely to due to outside risk factors, such as obesity.