THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- The number of cancer deaths in the United States dropped slightly in 2003, the first such decline since 1930.
"It's an important milestone that the number of Americans dying from cancer is decreasing," said Dr. Michael Thun, vice president of epidemiology and surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. "We are making progress, and we have a very long way to go."
The estimates appear in a report released Thursday called Cancer Facts & Figures, which has been published annually by the American Cancer Society since 1952.
The report projects that 564,830 Americans will die of cancer this year, or more than 1,500 people each day. And about 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with the disease. Cancer is second only to heart disease as the most common killer in the United States.
The death rate, as opposed to number of deaths, has been declining in the United States since 1991. But, until 2003, the aging and growth of the population conspired to increase the actual number of deaths.
Now, the numbers are actually dropping. The report found that from 2002 to 2003 the number of U.S. cancer deaths fell by 369 -- from 557,271 in 2002 to 556,902 the following year.
There are a number of explanations for the good news, including lifestyle changes, earlier detection and advances in treatment.
"Quitting smoking has been tremendous in men and is slowly beginning to be seen in women," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Baton Rouge, La.
"Screening for breast cancer has made a dramatic difference in death rates. Detection at much earlier stages is also important. Treatment for those already diagnosed has begun to make a major impact," he added.
"It's a combination of things," Thun said. "For tobacco-related cancers, it's due to a reduction in tobacco use. For breast cancer, it's a combination of early detection and improvement in treatment. For prostate cancer, we don't have a definitive answer but it's also likely to be a combination. And for colon cancer, the one important factor is an increase in screening."
Some other highlights from the report:
In addition, this year's report includes a special section on environmental pollutants, particularly air pollutants, including asbestos, radon, secondhand tobacco smoke, vehicle emissions and more.
Exposure to environmental pollutants in occupational, community and other settings is responsible for an estimated 4 percent of cancer deaths (occupational exposures) and 2 percent of deaths (environmental pollutants). That six percent translates into 33,900 U.S. deaths annually, according to the report.
More information
To read the full report, visit the American Cancer Society.