BMJ  2006;332:444 (25 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7539.444

News

US cancer mortality falls for the first time

Jeanne Lenzer

New York

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The total number of deaths from cancer fell in the United States for the first time since 1930, when nationwide statistics were first compiled, says a new report by the American Cancer Society. The decline occurred in 2003, when 556 902 people died from cancer; the number who died in 2002 was 557 271.

John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, said, "For years we've proudly pointed to dropping cancer death rates, even as a growing and aging population meant more actual deaths.

"Now, for the first time, the advances we've made in prevention, early detection, and treatment are outpacing even the population factors that in some ways obscured that success."

The fall in deaths from cancer was primarily due to a decline in the overall incidence of cancer related to smoking, said the society's programme director for cancer occurrence, Ahmedin Jemal.

"This is mainly because of . . . [Full text of this article]

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