The American Cancer Society has announced that for the first time in 30 years, the actual number of cancer deaths has declined. The decline is shown in data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics for 2002 (557,271 deaths) and 2003 (556,902 deaths). The announcement accompanied the February 9 release of the American Cancer Society report Cancer Facts & Figures 2006, which used the 2002-2003 data to predict that 2006 will see a slight decline in the projected number of cancer deaths compared to estimates made for 2005.

A Star Tribune article about the report stated: "In Minnesota, the number of cancer deaths has been dropping as well, according to the state health department. In 2004, cancer killed 9,091 people, down from a peak of 9,199 in 2000." The article quotes Masonic Cancer Center Director John Kersey, M.D., who agreed with health department officials who said the main reason for the falling rates is that fewer men are smoking: "Yes, treatments play a significant role, but I don't think it's the major factor," he said. "Reducing smoking clearly has much more impact than anything else we can do."

More information:

• American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts & Figures 2006
• American Cancer Society press release: “Report Finds Historic Drop in Total Number of Cancer Deaths”

 

Media Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director, Masonic Cancer Center, 612-624-6165, 612-363-6971 (cell), mlawson@umn.edu.