WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cancer death rates have steadily declined among both men and women from 2001 to 2022, including during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2024 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.
Among men, the rate of new cancer cases decreased from 2001 to 2013 and then remained stable through 2021. For women, the number of new cases slightly increased each year from 2003 to 2021, except in 2020.
The report, published in the journal Cancer, is based on data from national cancer registries and death records supported by the CDC and the National Cancer Institute.
The report also found that while new breast cancer cases gradually increased over time, the overall death rate from breast cancer went down.
Cancer death rates in children dropped steadily throughout the study period, and although the rates also declined for teenagers and young adults, the decline has slowed in recent years.
From 2018 to 2022, cancer deaths decreased in all major racial and ethnic groups. Between 2017 and 2021 (excluding 2020), cancer rates remained stable among men across all major racial and ethnic groups but increased among women in every group.
Notably, non-Hispanic Black men had the highest cancer rates among men, while American Indian and Alaska Native women had the highest rates among women.
The report also examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnoses across all U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Cancer diagnoses dropped sharply in 2020, likely due to disruptions in health care access, but returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2021. This drop was similar across states, regardless of their COVID-19 policies.
The researchers emphasized that these findings highlight the importance of maintaining access to health care during public health emergencies to ensure timely cancer diagnoses and treatment.
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