A new report says scientific advances have averted 4.1 million cancer deaths over the 30 years between 1991 and 2021, but cancer remains a public health challenge.
of ReportAccording to a report released Wednesday by the American Cancer Society, cancer deaths fell 33 percent between 1991 and 2021. The report attributes the overall decline in cancer deaths to a decrease in smoking and improvements in early detection and treatment.
Child and adolescent cancer deaths have also fallen by 24 percent over the past 20 years.
However, cancer diagnoses are becoming more common, and scientific advances are not uniform across cancer types and stages.
Cancer remains the nation's leading cause of death, with the report predicting that more than 2 million new cases will be diagnosed and more than 611,000 people will die from cancer in 2024.
The report authors noted that while overall cancer incidence rates have remained stable, cases of pancreatic, uterine, and human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oral cancer have been increasing.
HPV-related oral cancer is vaccine preventable, as is cervical cancer in young adults.
However, despite clear evidence that the HPV vaccine helps prevent cervical cancer, vaccination rates in the United States are low: in 2022, only 38.6% of children and adolescents ages 9 to 17 had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.
The report also noted an alarming rise in certain cancers among young people: Public health experts, for example, are concerned about rising rates of colorectal and breast cancer among adults under the age of 50.
The report found that 40 percent of all cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors, including excessive alcohol consumption.
According to the report, 5.4% of cancer cases in the United States (about 1 in 20 cases) were attributable to alcohol use in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available. Alcohol use at a young age can increase cancer risk later in life.
Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of six types of cancer: certain types of head and neck cancer, rare types of esophageal cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer and stomach cancer.
However, awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer remains low, and the report highlighted the need for public messaging campaigns, such as cancer warning labels on alcoholic drinks.
