The 27-year decline in the overall cancer death rate is mostly due to long-term drops in the four most common cancers: lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate. Among the largest drop is in lung cancer deaths. In contrast, progress in reducing colorectal and breast cancer deaths has slowed and prostate cancer rates have stayed the same.
These four cancers account for more than four out of every ten cancer deaths in the United States. Almost one-quarter of all cancer deaths are due to lung cancer – more than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers combined.
Reductions in the lung cancer death rate account for almost half of the total drop in the cancer death rate from 2014 to 2018. Overall declines in the lung cancer death rate are mostly due to reductions in smoking, although improved treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common subtype, appear to have accelerated this progress. Even with these advances, lung cancer is still the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women. More than 80% of lung cancer deaths are due to cigarette smoking.
January 12, 2021 https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/facts-and-figures-2021.html
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Facts & Figures 2021 Reports Another Record-Breaking 1-Year Drop in Cancer Deaths
https://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org/#!/
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