WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cancer death rates fell for both men and women from 2019 to 2023, continuing a downward trend that has lasted more than 20 years, according to the 2026 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, published in the journal Cancer. The continued decline in cancer deaths is driven largely by accelerated progress against lung cancer.
The special topic of the report focuses on changes in lung cancer risk factors and related outcomes during the first quarter of the 21st century. Despite significant progress, lung cancer remains the second most common cancer in both men and women and the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Researchers noted that, beyond further reductions in cigarette smoking and supporting tobacco-free environments, sustaining progress against lung cancer may depend on access to early cancer detection, timely diagnosis, and state-of-the-art treatment.
The report also examines trends in new U.S. cancer cases from 2003 to 2022. Overall rates of new cancer cases rose slightly each year from 2018 to 2022, driven by increases in breast cancer among women and prostate cancer among men. Breast and prostate cancer remain the most common cancers among women and men, respectively. Despite the increase in prostate cancer, the overall rate of new cancer cases among men remained stable.
The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer provides yearly updates on cancer rates and trends in the United States and each year includes a special topic of interest. The report is a collaborative effort among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health; the American Cancer Society; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
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