Cancer death rates are falling and new diagnoses are rising for some groups, the report says
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A major annual cancer report revealed a mix of good news and points of concern.
Cancer diagnoses it is expected to exceed two million in 2025, with approximately 618,120 predicted deaths, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual cancer trends report, published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
ACS researchers collected data from central cancer registries and the National Center for Health Statistics.
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While death rates have decreased, certain groups have seen an increase in diagnoses, the report said.
In 2025, the number of cancer diagnoses is expected to exceed two million, with approximately 618,120 deaths predicted. (iStock)
“Continued reductions in cancer mortality due to declines in smoking, better treatment and earlier detection are certainly great news,” said lead author Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at ACS in Georgia, in a news release.
“However, this progress has been tempered by an increase in incidence among young people and middle-aged womenwho are often the breadwinners of the family, and shifting the burden of cancer from men to women, going back to the early 1900s, when cancer was more common in women.”
An overall decline in the death rate
The cancer death rate fell by 34% between 1991 and 2022, according to the ACS report.
This equates to approximately 4.5 million deaths averted through early detection, reduction of smokingand improvements in treatment, the report said.
The cancer death rate fell by 34% between 1991 and 2022.
Several factors likely contributed to this decline, noted Dr. John D. Carpten, Chief Scientific Officer at City of Hope, National cancer research and a treatment organization in California.
“I think the big thing is stopping smoking and fighting lung cancer, which has always been the most common form of cancer and is linked to tobacco use,” Carpten told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview.
“Screening programs are a key component of early detection, and expanding access to these services will save countless lives.” (iStock)
“But I’m definitely thinking of new and better methods for early detection and screening colorectal cancer and other forms of disease, have also allowed us to see a reduction.”
Lifestyle improvements have also helped reduce mortality, he said, along with the development of new and better cancer therapies.
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Despite the overall decline in mortality, the report found that death rates were rising from cancers of the oral cavity, pancreas, uterine body and liver (for women).
Some common forms of cancer also saw an increase in diagnoses, including breast (female), prostate, pancreatic, the body of the uterusmelanoma (female), liver cancer (female) and oral cancer linked to human papillomavirus, the report said.
Increased number of diagnoses among certain groups
The number of diagnoses for many types of cancer is increasing among certain groups.
Cancer rates among women aged 50 to 64 have overtaken those of men, a report reveals. For women under 50, the rates are 82% higher than for men in that age group.
The report found that diagnoses of colon cancer in men and women under the age of 65 and cervical cancer in women between the ages of 30 and 44 are on the rise. (iStock)
As for what’s driving the “worrying trend” in women’s cancers, Carpten said it’s likely “very nuanced” and will require more research.
“The decline in fertility and increase in obesity that we’ve seen are risk factors for breast cancerespecially in middle-aged postmenopausal women,” he said.
“But there could be other modifiable risk factors, such as alcohol and physical activity.”
Cancer rates for women aged 50 to 64 have surpassed those for men.
Another trend in the rise of early cancers is in people under 50, Carpten noted.
Specifically, the report found that colon cancer diagnoses in men and women younger than 65 and cervical cancer in women between 30 and 44 years of age is increased.
Some common cancers are also seeing an increase in diagnoses, including breast (female), prostate, pancreatic, uterine, melanoma (female), liver (female), and HPV-related oral cancer. (iStock)
The report also talks about disparities in cancer rates among certain ethnic groups, with Native Americans and blacks having more diagnoses of some types of cancer.
“Progress in the fight against cancer continues to be hampered by striking, large static disparities for many racial and ethnic groups,” said senior author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, Senior Vice President for Supervision and health equity of Science at ACS, in a statement.
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The report shows mixed trends for childrenwith diagnoses declining in recent years for patients aged 14 and under, but increasing for adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age.
“Mortality rates have fallen by 70% in children and by 63% in adolescents since 1970, largely due to improved treatment of leukemia,” the ACS said in a statement.
Pancreatic cancer is a growing concern
The ACS report also warns of “lagging progress” against pancreatic cancerthe third leading cause of cancer death in the US
The ACS report also warns of a “lag in progress” against pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the US (iStock)
Rates of diagnosis and death from this type of disease are on the rise.
“Pancreas is an incredibly deadly form of cancer,” Carpten said.
One of the main problems with pancreatic cancer, he said, is that it can sometimes grow in an individual for up to 10 years before it is detected.
“If we can identify these cancers when they are at a curable stage, we can improve outcomes.”
One of the best chances of winning against pancreatic cancer is early detection, Carpten said.
“As these cancers progress, they have spread to the liver or other organs and are almost impossible to cure at that stage,” he said.
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“If we can identify these cancers when they are at a curable stage, we can improve outcomes.”
‘It takes a village’
Making progress in the fight against cancer “takes a whole village,” Carpten told Fox News Digital.
“It will require a partnership between the community, healthcare systemcancer researchers, government, industry — we all have to work together if we’re going to continue to see reductions and ultimately increases in cures,” he said.
“We all have to work together if we are to continue to see reductions and ultimately increases in cures,” the cancer researcher said. (iStock)
dr. Wayne AI Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Network (ACS CAN), said the report highlights the need for “increased investment in both cancer treatment and care, including equitable screening programs.”
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“Screening programs are a key component of early detection, and expanding access to these services will save countless lives,” he said in a statement.
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“We also need to address these changes in cancer incidence, mainly among women. A concerted effort between health care providers, policy makers and communities needs to be prioritized to assess where and why death rates are rising.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to ACS for additional comment.
