Overall Cancer Death Rates Dropped 26% in 20 Years

In the United States, cancer death rates continue to decrease. New data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show changes in cancer death rates during the 20-year period of 1999 to 2018. Cancer death rates decreased every year during 1999 to 2018, leading to a 26% drop overall. During this 20-year period, there were changes in death rates for several types of cancer: Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death, but death rates decreased 37% from 1999 to 2018. Death rates also decreased in 15 other common cancers including colorectal, female breast, and prostate. Death rates increased for cancers of the liver, pancreas, and uterus, which are linked to excess weight. CDC epidemiologist Jane Henley says, “Together, we can go beyond reducing the number of people who die from cancer—to stop people from ever getting cancer at all.” In her new blog post, Jane discusses prevention efforts that help lower cancer deaths, the challenges that still exist, and the work ahead. Read An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States for details, as well as a printable summary and images to share.

Did You Know? You can use CDC's Data Visualizations tool to see rates of new cancers or cancer deaths for the entire United States and individual states, including county levels.