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A new report from the American Cancer Society indicates that cancer death rates are continuing to fall, dropping by 1.8% per year in men and 1.6% per year in women between 2004 and 2008, thanks to advances in cancer screening and treatment, Reuters reports.
While the rate of decline is small, experts say, it is significant because it has continued to fall each year in the past 10.
Cancer death rates among Hispanic men (2.3%) and black men (2.4%) had the biggest declines.
But the news is not all good. According to the Reuters report:
Despite improvements in the most common cancers, a companion report found an increase in cases of several cancers over the past decade, Reuters. These included cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid, and kidney and melanoma, as well as esophageal cancer and certain types of throat cancers associated with human papillomavirus or HPV infection.
That report found cases of HPV-related throat cancer and melanoma rose only in whites, and rates of esophageal cancer rose in both whites and Hispanics.
Experts say obesity and early detection may play a role in the rise of these cancer types.
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
