The report, appearing in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, reflects good news for 11 of the 19 most common cancers among men, and for 14 of the 20 most common cancers among women.
Cancer death rates in the U.S. have now fallen for 26 consecutive years, and the pace is quickening. The biggest force behind the trend is lung cancer, which kills more Americans each year than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined — making its accelerating decline ripple across the entire cancer landscape. Decades of smoking-cessation policy, expanding screening, and faster treatment advances are all compounding at once. Yet fewer than 5% of eligible patients receive recommended lung cancer screenings, and Black patients face a 33% higher mortality risk than white patients. Progress is real — and unfinished.
