National Report Shows Drop in Cancer Mortality

June 13, 2019 by Alec Stone MA, MPA, Former ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy
Alec Stone
Alec Stone MA, MPA, ONS Public Affairs Director

In May 2019, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Cancer Society, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) released a report detailing the decreasing cancer mortality rates (https://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/) in the United States. It’s a welcome trend among the cancer community, highlighting past efforts in prevention, screening, and early detection—along with improving rates of treatment success. 

From 1999–2016, cancer death rates in men, women, and children in the United States dropped. Overall, the decline has been a boon for the cancer community.

“It is important to recognize that cancer mortality rates are declining in the 20-to-49-year-old age group,” Acting NCI Director Doug Lowy, MD, said (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/annual-report-nation-overall-cancer-mortality-continues-decline). “Similarly, the rates of decline among women in this age group are faster than those in older women.”

Lowy called for continued efforts in prevention and treatment to improve public health, especially among outlier groups and those facing racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities.

The report made specific references to the following cancer incidents:

“Major declines overall in cancer mortality point in the right direction, yet significant differences remain in cancer cases and deaths based on gender, ethnicity, and race,” CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, said (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/annual-report-nation-overall-cancer-mortality-continues-decline). “A better understanding of these discrepancies improves cancer diagnosis and recovery for all patients and is vital to our public health mission.”


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