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Cancer Mortality Rates Show Dramatic Decline In The US |
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Written by Neil Simmons
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Tuesday, 16 October 2007 |
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Mortality rates from the top 15 cancers have declined dramatically in the US from 2002 to 2004, according to a new report released by the country's leading cancer organizations. Death from cancer declined by 2.1 percent on an annual basis during those two years as compared to the 1.1 percent decline reported from 1993 to 2002.
On a gender basis, cancer death rate declined more in men as compared to women. There was a decline in the deaths reported from three leading cancers in men including prostate, lung and colorectal cancers. On the other hand lesser women succumbed to breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. In 2007 some 559,650 deaths are expected to be attributed to cancer.
The new report called, "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2004, Featuring Cancer in American Indians and Alaska Natives," was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute. Scientists from Indian Health Service and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine also contributed to the report.
Cancer deaths began to drop off from 1992 onward mainly because the population finally heeded to warnings on smoking, eating nutritious food and early detection of tumors.
There was a steady decline of 1.1 percent in cancer mortality from 1993 to 2002. However the current report says in the two years after this the death rates declined by 2.1 percent.
In men cancer mortality fell by 2.6 percent yearly, while it declined by 1.8 percent yearly in women.
One concern voiced in the report was that American Indians and Alaska Natives were not benefiting uniformly from cancer preventing and treating measures.
"We are firmly committed to addressing cancer health disparities so that the benefits of decades of research can reach all Americans," said National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director John E. Niederhuber. "The fact that lung and colorectal cancers rates were higher in some American Indian and Alaska Native populations points to the work we still have to do."
The study said earlier detection and the dramatic decrease in hormone use after menopause could be attributed to the decline in deaths from breast and ovarian cancers in women.
The study will appear in the November 15 issue of Cancer, but was published online at www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer/report2007 today.
The American Cancer Society revealed that access to proper care is still the major issue and that organizations should take steps to ensure uniform access to cancer treatments in the country.
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