Cancer incidence rates and the number of deaths due to cancer continue to decline in the United States, according to the Cancer Statistics 2010 report issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The incidence of cancer has decreased by 1.3 percent per year from 2000 to 2006 in men and 0.5 percent per year from 1998 to 2006 in women, while cancer death rates have dropped 21 percent since 1991 among men and 12 percent since 1992 among women.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross and Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, strategic director for cancer occurrence at ACS, attribute the continual decline in cancer death rate to improved treatment, prevention and early detection. A decrease in death rates is due to better treatment options such as radiation, surgery and anti-cancer drugs. However, the fact that we re doing more screening and detecting more cancer should make the incidence rate go up, but this is going against that trend, says Dr. Ross.
Though smoking is a known cause of lung cancer, the etiology of cancer remains largely unknown and has led to the accusation that environmental chemicals are among the causes. This downward trend goes against the rationale that environmental activists like those who oppose BPA and pesticides use to promote legislation that would tighten regulations against environmental chemicals, says ACSH's Jeff Stier.
Let s just say we won t be hearing CNN s Dr. Sanjay Gupta s thoughts on this report anytime soon good news doesn t seem to appeal to him and other reporters, adds ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
