In the United States, cancer death rates continue to decrease. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics shows that overall cancer death rates dropped 26 percent from 1999 to 2018.
Cancer death rates decreased every year during 1999 to 2018, leading to a 26 percent drop overall. During this 20-year period, there were changes in death rates for several types of cancer:
· Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death, but death rates decreased 37% from 1999 to 2018.
· Death rates also decreased in 15 other common cancers including colorectal, female breast, and prostate.
· Death rates increased for cancers of the liver, pancreas, and uterus, which are linked to excess weight.
· Were stable for brain and central nervous system cancers
CDC Epidemiologist Jane Henley, MSPH, said, “Together, we can go beyond reducing the number of people who die from cancer—to stop people from ever getting cancer at all.”
