US cancer death rate down 25% from peak

Washington Post - The cancer death rate in the United States has dropped by 25 percent since its 1991 peak, resulting in 2 million fewer cancer deaths than if the rate had stayed the same, the American Cancer Society said Thursday in a new report. The group attributed the decrease largely to reductions in smoking and improvements in the early detection and treatment of cancer. But a significant gender gap remains: The cancer death rate is 40 percent higher for men than women, and the incidence of cancer is 20 percent higher in men.