The Volokh Conspiracy - Cancer Deaths Drop Again:

The American Cancer Society reports that total cancer deaths in the United States have declined for the second straight year. This is singificant because, while cancer death rates have been declining for some time, the number of cancer deaths had continued to climb. No more. As the New York Times reports:

The number of cancer deaths in the United States has dropped for the second year in a row, the American Cancer Society reported yesterday. The finding suggests that the small drop reported last year — the first in more than 70 years — was real, possibly the start of a continuing decrease and not merely a statistical fluke, researchers said.

Much of the decrease is due to smoking cessation and improved detection and treatment of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. . . .

The death rate from cancer has been falling by slightly less than 1 percent a year since 1991, but until 2003 the actual number of deaths kept rising because the population was growing and aging. Then, in 2003, the cumulative drop in death rates finally became large enough to outpace aging and population growth.

"The decline in the cancer death rates, which has ultimately resulted in a decline in the total number of deaths, really reflects the years of effort and investment in tobacco control, programs for early detection and screening, and programs in clinical and basic research," Dr. Ward said. "We've made a great deal of progress, but we still have a long way to go."

One great concern, Dr. Ward said, is that African-Americans have markedly higher death rates than whites from nearly every type of cancer. Researchers do not fully understand why. Having less income, education and access to health care account for much of the difference, but not all of it, researchers say.

The Washington Post also covers the story here.

In potentially unrelated news, a new study concludes that the average nicotine level in cigarettes increased from 1997 to 2005.

UPDATE: A commenter wonders why the average cigarette level is potentially relevant to this story given the lag between smoking. Simple. Insofar as cancer incidence and mortality trends are influenced by trends in tobacco use -- and they clearly are -- a change in cigarette nicotine levels could influence smoking rates, and this could affect future trends in cancer incidence and mortality, and have an effect on whether the current positive trends continue.

	[Jonathan Adler, January 18, 2007 at 7:54am] Trackbacks Cancer Deaths Drop Again: The American Cancer Society reports that total cancer deaths in the United States have declined for the second straight year. This is singificant because, while cancer death rates have been declining for some time, the number of cancer deaths had continued to climb. No more. As the New York Times reports: The number of cancer deaths in the United States has dropped for the second year in a row, the American Cancer Society reported yesterday. The finding suggests that the small drop reported last year — the first in more than 70 years — was real, possibly the start of a continuing decrease and not merely a statistical fluke, researchers said. Much of the decrease is due to smoking cessation and improved detection and treatment of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. . . . The death rate from cancer has been falling by slightly less than 1 percent a year since 1991, but until 2003 the actual number of deaths kept rising because the population was growing and aging. Then, in 2003, the cumulative drop in death rates finally became large enough to outpace aging and population growth. "The decline in the cancer death rates, which has ultimately resulted in a decline in the total number of deaths, really reflects the years of effort and investment in tobacco control, programs for early detection and screening, and programs in clinical and basic research," Dr. Ward said. "We've made a great deal of progress, but we still have a long way to go." One great concern, Dr. Ward said, is that African-Americans have markedly higher death rates than whites from nearly every type of cancer. Researchers do not fully understand why. Having less income, education and access to health care account for much of the difference, but not all of it, researchers say. The Washington Post also covers the story here. In potentially unrelated news, a new study concludes that the average nicotine level in cigarettes increased from 1997 to 2005. UPDATE: A commenter wonders why the average cigarette level is potentially relevant to this story given the lag between smoking. Simple. Insofar as cancer incidence and mortality trends are influenced by trends in tobacco use -- and they clearly are -- a change in cigarette nicotine levels could influence smoking rates, and this could affect future trends in cancer incidence and mortality, and have an effect on whether the current positive trends continue.