New Cancer Cases In The U.S. Down 0.8 Percent From 1999 To 2005

November 26, 2008 5:46 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - There were 0.8 percent less new cases of cancer diagnosed in the U.S. from 1999 to 2005. At the same time, death rates due to cancer also went down 1.8 percent annually from 2002 to 2005, according to latest statistics.

By gender, there was significant decline in lung, prostate and colorectal cancer among males, while breast and colorectal cancer among females was noticeable.

The twin drops are significant milestones in American health history, said Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, which produces the report.

John Niederhuber, director of the National Cancer Institute, added the declining cancer rates are impressive since the country's population is aging, which should make Americans more vulnerable to various types of ailments.

The drop in cancer cases was attributed to many Americans giving up smoking, which often leads to lung cancer.

Brawley added, quoted by the Washington Post, "The take-home message is that many of the things we've been telling people to do to be healthy have finally reached the point where we can say that they are working... These things are really starting to pay off."

About 1.4 million new cancer cases are discovered annually in the U.S., while 560,000 American patients succumb to various forms of cancer every year.