The American Cancer Society announced on February 20th that the death rate from cancer has continued the decline it began in the early 1990s.  In 2005, the year for which the most recent data is available, the death rate from lung, colorectal, prostate, breast and other cancer types fell, but not as much as in 2003 and 2004.  

Since 1990, the cancer death rate for men has fallen by 18.4 percent and 10.5 percent for women since 1991.  The American Cancer Society says that the declines "are driven by improved treatment and screening methods as well as progress toward prevention such as declining smoking rates."  In 2008, it is estimated there will be 1,437,180 new cancer cases in the United States, as well as 565,650 cancer deaths.

While the number of cancer deaths increased by approximately 5,400 from 2004 to 2005, American Cancer Society Chief Executive Office John Seffrin said, "The increase in the number of cancer deaths in 2005 after two years of historic declines should be obscure the fact that cancer death rates continue to drop, reflecting the enormous progress that has been made against cancer during the last 15 years."

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