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Cancer Death Rates Steadily Going Down In The US For Many Common Cancers, Report Finds

by — Last updated: 2021-07-25 in Cancer

Cancer death rates are going down in the US, the 2021 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer clearly shows. That is great news, but the report also makes it clear that a lot of work remains to be done to fight the most common cancers.

The last year and a half have — let's not beat around the bush here — been tough for almost everyone. COVID-19 might have triggered that fact, but it's been far from the only direct cause of personal "health-pocalypses" for people around the globe, whether due to mental health crises or an inability to access adequate medical care for preexisting chronic conditions or new diseases unrelated to COVID. 

Do you, like so many others, think it's time for some good news? Well, we're here to deliver it. 

Cancer death rates have been declining in the United States, data collected between 2014 and 2018 clearly shows, and the prognosis for many of the most common types of cancer is now better than ever before. Males in the US are now less likely to die from 11 out of the 19 most common cancer, while females have a higher chance of surviving 14 out of the 20 most common cancers in women. 

This data was made public in the 2021 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer (ARN), a collaborative effort led by the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and worked on nby numerous other important organizations. 

Where are we doing better, now? Which cancers require increased focus if we're going to make the same strides? What factors influence cancer death rates? Let's examine these very important findings in more detail!

How has the rate of new cancers changed?

Although the 2021 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer has mainly focused on the progress made as death rates decline, there have also been significant changes in the rates of new cancer cases in the United States:

  • Among males, the incidence of six common cancers went down between 2013 and 2017: lung and bronchus cancer, cancer of the larynx, bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, and brain cancer.
  • Among females, the incidence of six common cancers likewise went down over the same time period, but these are different cancers — cancer of the ovaries, lungs and bronchi, colon and rectum, bladder, and brain. 
  • Some male cancers are in the rise, however, and those are testicular cancer, malignant melanoma, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, oral and throat cancer, and pancreatic cancer. 
  • Certain female cancers are also becoming more prevalent, namely cancers of the liver and intrahepatic bile duct, skin (melanoma), corpus and uterus, myeloma (bone marrow cancer), pancreas, kidney and renal pelvis, breast, and oral and throat cancers.

Decline in cancer death rates: Where are we seeing the biggest progress?

The statistics that emerged over the course of the research show that cancer deaths among males have decreased by 2.2 percent annually, on average, while cancer deaths in females have declined by 1.7 percent a year on average.

The greatest progress has been made in melanoma death rates. Yes, fewer people are getting this skin cancer due to increased awareness of the dangers of ths sun's harmful rays in combination with better protection measures, but those who do develop malignant melanoma are also more likely to survive as a result of novel therapies and treatment approaches.

A dramatic difference can also be seen in lung cancer deaths. Fewer people are getting lung cancer now, and fewer of those who do are dying from it. 

In addition:

  • Men who develop leukemia, myeloma, melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, colorectal cancer, throat cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, stomach cancer, bladder cancer, esophageal cancer, and kidney cancer are now more likely to survive these diagnoses. 
  • Women had decreased death rates for all these same cancers, but also for breast, cervical, and gallbladder cancers. 

Cancer death rates also decreased among children, teenagers, and young adults. The overall death cancer death rate decreased by 1.4 percent every year, on average, for children aged up to 14. In adolescents and young adults (meaning, for the purposes of this report, those aged 15 to 39), the cancer death rate went down by 0.9 percent a year on average. 

Some cancers are also on the rise, however, along with death rates. These cancers are those most strongly linked with obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, or both, and they include cancers of the uterus and pancreas. obese people have a higher risk of developing these cancers, as well as bone marrow cancer. Women are more likely to develop breast cancer, the report holds, as a result of the upward age trend among first-time mothers, as well as due to increase alcohol use. Prostate cancer deaths are also in the rise, and the report suggests that this is due to decreased participation in screening testing that would save lives by facilitating early treatment. 

Another important message we need to take away from the 2021 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer is that black people in the United States have a lower overall incidence of cancer, yet they are more likely to die from the disease — clearly showing that improved preventative healthcare and screening should be a top priority. 

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