Annual cancer deaths have decreased, according to the latest report from the National Cancer Institute on the United States’ cancer status. From 2003—2012, overall rates for men, women, and children from infancy to age 19 have fallen by as much as 2%.
Spanning a 37-year period, the report includes trends in cancer incidents and mortality. According to the report, during these years, seven of 17 common cancers in men decreased along with six in 18 cancers for women. Death rates are the standard by which success is measured in determining cancer successes in treatment and cures.
Lung cancer, along with smoking rates, have fallen as well. Liver and thyroid cancers in both men and women saw a marked increase over this timeframe. With more funding and research circling around the Nation’s Cancer Moonshot, it’s a hope that future reports will show even greater declines in the national cancer death rate.