1.5 Million Cancer Deaths Avoided in 2 Decades

Annual statistics reporting from the American Cancer Society shows the death rate from cancer in the US has fallen 22% from its peak in 1991. This translates to more than 1.5 million deaths from cancer that were avoided. “Cancer Statistics, 2015,” published in the American Cancer Society’s journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and its companion piece “Cancer Facts & Figures 2015,” estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths expected in the US this year. The estimates are some of the most widely quoted cancer statistics in the world.

A total of 1,658,370 new cancer cases and 589,430 deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the US in 2015. During the most recent 5 years for which there are data (2007-2011), new cancer cases decreased by 1.8% per year in men and stayed the same in women. Cancer death rates decreased by 1.8% per year in men and 1.4% in women in the same 5 years.

“The continuing drops we’re seeing in cancer mortality are reason to celebrate, but not to stop,” said John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society in a statement. “Cancer was responsible for nearly one in four deaths in the United States in 2011, making it the second leading cause of death overall. It is already the leading cause of death among adults aged 40 to 79, and is expected to overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death among all Americans within the next several years. The change may be inevitable, but we can still lessen cancer’s deadly impact by making sure as many Americans as possible have access to the best tools to prevent, detect, and treat cancer.”

The researchers say additional progress can be made by applying cancer-fighting efforts across all segments of the population. The amount of the decrease in cancer deaths varied by state, and was generally lowest in the South and highest in the Northeast. Regional differences in cancer death rates and trends reflect differences in risk factor patterns, such as smoking and obesity, as well as disparities in the national distribution of poverty and access to health care, which have increased over time.