The overall cancer death rate declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, with a 2.2% decline from 2016 to 2017 serving as the largest single-year drop in reported cancer mortality, according to research published today; however, obesity-related cancer deaths are rising and prostate cancer deaths remain stagnant.
The overall cancer death rate declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, with a 2.2% decline from 2016 to 2017 serving as the largest single-year drop in reported cancer mortality, according to research published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians; however, obesity-related cancer deaths are rising and prostate cancer deaths remain stagnant.
Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, with researchers from the American Cancer Society predicting the disease will affect more than 1.7 million people and cause 600,000 deaths in the nation this year. Overall cancer mortality has seen an average drop of 1.5% per year in the last decade (2008-2017), with the steady decline from 1991 translating to approximately 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths.
The decline can be attributed to long-term drops in death rates for the 4 major cancers—lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate. Lung cancer mortality rates, which constitute a quarter of all cancer deaths, represent a chief influence on the historic decline in cancer mortality, as the pace of mortality reductions has doubled in recent years from 2% to 4%, with further significant declines made over the long term among the other 3 major cancers:
Progress in treatment for melanoma of the skin drove the most rapid death rate decline seen in the research, as the overall melanoma death rate dropped by 7% per year during 2013-2017 in people aged 20 to 64 years. Prior to the FDA approval of 2 melanoma treatments, ipilimumab and vemurafenib, these death rates decreased by 2% to 3% each year among people aged 20 to 49 years, with a minimal decline of 1% in those aged 50 to 64 years. Since 2010, the 1-year survival for patients diagnosed with metastatic disease rose from 42% (2008-2010) to 55% during 2013-2015.
While these long-term declines show promise, reductions in death rates slowed for female breast and colorectal cancers, and halted for prostate cancer, causing lead study author Rebecca Siegel, MPH, scientific director of Surveillance Research at the American Cancer Society, to describe the significance of the study findings as mixed.
Furthermore, cancers that exhibited increases in death rates, such as thyroid, pancreas, and uterus, were all linked to obesity, stressing the public health crisis caused by the obesity epidemic. As African American (46.8%) and Hispanic (47%) adults were shown to be disproportionately affected by obesity, these minority groups represent definite at-risk groups.
“It’s a reminder that increasing our investment in the equitable application of existing cancer control interventions, as well as basic and clinical research to further advance treatment, would undoubtedly accelerate progress against cancer,” said Siegel.
Reference
Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2020 [published online January 8, 2019]. CA Cancer J Clin. doi: 10.3322/caac.21590.
AI in Health Care: Closing the Revenue Cycle Gap
April 1st 2025This commentary explores the current state, challenges, and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care revenue cycle management, emphasizing collaboration, data standardization, and targeted implementation to enhance adoption.
Read More
Navigating Sport-Related Neurospine Injuries, Surgery, and Managed Care
February 25th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Arthur L. Jenkins III, MD, FACS, CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine, to explore the intersection of advanced surgical care for sport-related neurospine injuries and managed care systems.
Listen
Financial, Housing, Food Insecurity Raises Risk of Hospital, ED Visits
April 1st 2025Social determinants of health been long understood to influence health outcomes, and this new analysis explores more deeply the link between social risk exposure and rates of health care resource utilization.
Read More
Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
Listen
Managed Care Reflections: A Q&A With Hoangmai H. Pham, MD, MPH
April 1st 2025To mark the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), each issue in 2025 will include a special feature: reflections from a thought leader on what has changed—and what has not—over the past 3 decades and what’s next for managed care. The April issue features a conversation with Hoangmai H. Pham, MD, MPH, a member of AJMC’s editorial board and the president and CEO of the Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC).
Read More
AI in Health Care: Closing the Revenue Cycle Gap
April 1st 2025This commentary explores the current state, challenges, and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care revenue cycle management, emphasizing collaboration, data standardization, and targeted implementation to enhance adoption.
Read More
Navigating Sport-Related Neurospine Injuries, Surgery, and Managed Care
February 25th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Arthur L. Jenkins III, MD, FACS, CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine, to explore the intersection of advanced surgical care for sport-related neurospine injuries and managed care systems.
Listen
Financial, Housing, Food Insecurity Raises Risk of Hospital, ED Visits
April 1st 2025Social determinants of health been long understood to influence health outcomes, and this new analysis explores more deeply the link between social risk exposure and rates of health care resource utilization.
Read More
Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
Listen
Managed Care Reflections: A Q&A With Hoangmai H. Pham, MD, MPH
April 1st 2025To mark the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), each issue in 2025 will include a special feature: reflections from a thought leader on what has changed—and what has not—over the past 3 decades and what’s next for managed care. The April issue features a conversation with Hoangmai H. Pham, MD, MPH, a member of AJMC’s editorial board and the president and CEO of the Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC).
Read More
2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512