Both lung cancer diagnoses and deaths in men and women have declined over the past 20 years. That trend has helped improve the overall cancer mortality picture. Twenty years of cancer data indicate a slow, gradual, but significant change, with overall deaths declining 2.1 percent a year from 2001 to 2018 and 1.5 percent a year from 2018 to 2022.“Progress has been made in reducing overall cancer mortality, largely driven by sustained declines in lung cancer,” according to the report “The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer (ARN).”To decrease the odds of dying from cancer, 20 years of data reported by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) suggests to stop any kind of tobacco use, and focus on weight loss.Improvement in Cancer MortalityThere may be room for even more improvement if tobacco use continues to decline and innovation in lung cancer treatment continues. More screening (only about 18 percent of eligible adults are tested for lung cancer) for that form of the disease could also help catch it earlier, thus leading to more effective treatment.“Despite remarkable progress, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death,” according to the report.However, the incidence of cancers associated with obesity grew during the 20-year study period. Those forms of cancer include female breast, uterus, colon and rectum, pancreas, kidney, and liver cancers.“Contrary to the rapid declines in incidence rates in smoking-associated cancers, incidence rates are increasing for multiple cancers, particularly those associated with excess body weight,” according to the report.Signs of Successful Cancer TreatmentsAlthough the report doesn’t explicitly state it, one positive picture the data paints is that cancer treatment seems to show slow, steady improvement. That’s because, broadly speaking, cancer incidence isn’t dropping as steadily as cancer deaths. In men, diagnoses decreased from 2001 through 2013 and then plateaued through 2021. In women, overall cancer incidence actually rose slightly every year from 2003 through 2021, except for 2020.There are also some disease-specific indicators that point to improved cancer treatment. For example, although new diagnoses of breast cancer slowly rose over the study period, the death rate from it decreased in the same time frame.Gender DifferencesThe data also points out many gender differences in terms of both cancer incidence and mortality. For instance, even though rates have declined, then steadied in men, while they are slowly ticking up in women, men still have both an overall higher incident rate and death rate than women.Different forms of the disease are prominent in each gender. Prostate cancer is the most common form in men, while stomach cancer leads in prevalence in women.Although not universal, the data also shows some variations by race and ethnicity. For example, Black women with breast cancer have a 40 percent higher death rate than White women with the disease, “[…] a disparity that has persisted for decades,” according to the report.More Cancer Battles AheadIn general, the report summarizes gradual progress in the war against cancer, but could benefit from more attention and progress in specific battles.“Overall, cancer incidence and death rates continue to decline, representing changes in risk factors, increases in screening utilization, and advances in treatment. However, sustained disparities by race and ethnicity emphasize the need to fully understand the factors that create these differences so that they can be mitigated,” the report concluded.This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article: U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Annual Report to the Nation: Cancer deaths continue to declineBefore joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.