Cancer death rates have shown a decline in the US from 2001 to 2022, according to Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. However, in a worrying trend, cancer diagnosis rates among women have shown an upward trend, increasing every year by 0.3% from 2003 to 2021. Whereas for men, rates have stabilised after dropping until 2013.
However, in a worrying sign cases related to obesity, like pancreas and kidney cancers, uterine, breast, and liver cancers among women, and colon and rectal cancers among adolescents and young adults, have contributed significantly to the rise in cancer rates.
The report also highlighted that new diagnoses of breast cancer gradually increased over the period. Despite the slowdown in number of deaths, incidence was highest in American Indian women.
Due to COVID-19, the trends were disrupted in 2020, and the cancer incidence rates fell significantly. According to the report, it likely happened due to the interruption in medical care related to the COVID-19 pandemic. But after 2020, it again shot up and returned to the expected levels.
The report said, “Because fewer cancers were diagnosed in 2020, especially through screening, we may see a larger percentage of cancer cases diagnosed at a late stage in future years.”
“Overall, cancer incidence and death rates continue to decline, representing changes in risk factors, increases in screening utilisation, and advances in treatment,” the researchers write. “However, sustained disparities by race and ethnicity emphasise the need to fully understand the factors that create these differences so that they can be mitigated.”
The consumption of tobacco in the US is limited to fewer people, and that’s why the rates of smoking-related cancers are low, and the same has been a major contributor to the improvement in the overall cancer rates, says the report.
The 2024 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer was published on April 21 (Monday) in the Journal of Cancer. The report is based on data from the CDC, NIH, American Cancer Society, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
