U.S. Cancer Deaths Dropping

Oct. 4, 2005 -- America's cancer death rate has been dropping since the early 1990s, a new study shows.

That's "progress," write the researchers in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

However, they also found a slight rise in women's cancer cases and ongoing cancer disadvantages in some racial and ethnic groups.

Lung cancer remains the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths for men and women alike, the study shows.

The annual report is a joint project of the American Cancer Society, the CDC, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Cancer Registries.

Fewer Cancer Deaths

The drop in overall cancer death rates began in the early 1990s. Before that, reported cancer deaths had risen for more than 60 years, write the National Cancer Institute's Brenda Edwards, PhD, and colleagues.

Cancer deaths for men and women combined dropped about 1% per year from 1993 to 2002, the study shows.

That includes all cancer "sites" (such as the breast, prostate, and colon) combined. It also covers several of the 15 most common cancers.

Death rates dropped for 12 of the 15 most common cancers for men. Those were cancers of the lung, prostate, colon and rectum, pancreas, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, bladder, stomach, brain, and oral cavity, as well as myeloma and melanoma.

Death rates also dropped for nine of the 15 most common cancers for women. Those were cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, brain, stomach, cervix, and bladder, as well as myeloma.

The researchers did not include nonmelanoma skin cancers in their study.

Slight Rise in Women's Cancer Cases

The study didn't just track cancer deaths. It also covered how many people have cancer. That's called the incidence of cancer.

Men's incidence for all cancer sites combined was stable from 1995 to 2002.

However, women's incidence of cancer rose slightly (by less than 0.5% per year) from 1987 to 2002.

Women's lung cancer deaths also rose from 1995 to 2002. However, the incidence was stable from 1998 to 2002, the study shows.

Most Common Cancers

Here are the five most common cancers for men from 1992 to 2002:

1. Prostate cancer
2. Lung cancer
3. Colon and rectal cancer
4. Urinary bladder cancer
5. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The five most common cancers for women during that period were:

1. Breast cancer
2. Lung cancer
3. Colon and rectal cancer
4. Cancer of the endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) and uterus
5. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Leading Cancer Killers

The leading causes of cancer deaths from 1992 to 2002 for men were:

1. Lung cancer
2. Prostate cancer
3. Colon and rectal cancer
4. Pancreatic cancer
5. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Women's top five causes of cancer deaths were:

1. Lung cancer
2. Breast cancer
3. Colon and rectal cancer
4. Pancreatic cancer
5. Ovarian cancer