33% decline in cancer death rate since 1991: 12 things to know

Forty percent of all cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors, though there has been a 33% decline in the cancer death rate between 1991 and 2021, according to the American Association for Cancer Research's annual Cancer Progress Report. 

Here are 12 key takeaways from the report:

Diagnoses

  • The report estimates 2,001,140 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2024.

  • Colorectal cancer incidence increased by 1.9% per year between 2011 and 2019 for people younger than 50.

  • Cervical cancer incidence increased by 2.5% per year between 2012 and 2019 among women ages 30 to 34.

Death rates on decline

  • The report estimates 611,720 people will die from cancer in 2024.

  • More than 4.1 million cancer deaths were avoided in the U.S. between 1991 and 2021, representing a 33% decline in the cancer death rate. The report attributes the decline to smoking cessation and advancements made in treatment and early diagnosis.

  • The breast cancer death rate declined by 42% between 1989 and 2021. The colorectal cancer death rate declined by 39% between 2000 and 2022.

  • Between 1970 and 2021, the overall cancer death in children 14 and younger declined by 70%, and the overall cancer death rate for children ages 15-19 declined by 63%.


Survival

  • There were more than 18 million cancer survivors living in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2022, and that number is expected to grow to 26 million by 2040.

  • The five-year relative survival rate across all cancers increased from 49% in the mid-1970s to 69% for patients diagnosed between 2013 to 2019.

  • The five-year relative survival rate for children across all cancers increased from 58% in the mid-1970s to 85% for patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2019, though survival varied greatly within cancer types.

Advancements

  • The FDA approved 30 anticancer therapeutics between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

  • Research has fueled advancements in genetic testing, AI, surgery, screening, immunotherapies, noninvasive imaging and radiotheranostics.


Read the full report here

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