ACSH is happy to report on the latest American Cancer Society (ACS) statistics, which show that U.S. cancer death rates continue to fall. We reported on similar findings in June and April but confirmation of this downward trend is welcome news. With the exception of American Indians and Alaskan natives, cancer death rates have decreased in both genders across all racial and ethnic groups since 1999. Among the biggest annual declines were those seen in African American men (2.4 percent) and Latino men (2.3 percent).
In general, lung cancer accounted for the largest drop in cancer death rates in men, while breast cancer deaths decreased the most in women. However, there was some bad news: Oropharyngeal cancers, which are linked to the human papillomavirus, are on the rise, in addition to cancers of the pancreas, liver, and kidney, which have been linked to obesity.
We hope this latest update will silence some of the alarmist cries over the alleged increases in cancer related to chemicals. If the carcinogenic chemicals we re supposedly bathing in (like bisphenol A, phthalates, and others) were really so dangerous, one would logically expect the ACS numbers to increase, not decrease. Clearly, that s just not so, says ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom.
