WASHINGTON — A new report shows U.S. mortality rates for cancer are continuing to decline, but other concerning trends have emerged.
According to the American Cancer Society’s annual report, there was a 34% decrease in deaths between 1991 and 2022. But while that’s good news, the report also found that more women and younger adults are being diagnosed with cancer.
“Overall younger, younger patients in general, men and women, are having more and more cancers. And the reality is we don’t necessarily know the reason for that. That’s an area of active study,” said Dr. Dale Shepard, an oncologist with the Cleveland Clinic. “One reason that maybe more women are having increased cancers compared to men, that we haven’t seen the same benefits in women, is really a preventable cause and that’s continued smoking.”
Shepard said lung cancer cases are now higher in women than in men among people younger than 65.
The American Cancer Society report also shows colorectal cancer cases for adults younger than 65 and cervical cancer cases for women between 30 and 44 have gone up as well.
The report also found that pancreatic cancer remains the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S., with the 5-year relative survival rate just 8% for a majority of those diagnosed. But Shepard said there are things you can do to minimize your risk.
“Even though we’ve made progress, we can make even more progress if people do lifestyle modifications that can decrease their risk for cancer,” he said. “That would be stopping smoking, minimizing alcohol exposure, getting screenings when appropriate, follow up with your doctor if there’s symptoms for earlier detection and minimizing obesity.”
The American Cancer Society report noted some racial disparities. American Indian and Alaska Native people are two to three times more likely to die from kidney, liver, stomach and cervical cancers than white Americans. And Black Americans are twice as likely to die from prostate, stomach and uterine corpus cancer compared to white Americans.
To learn more, check out the American Cancer Society’s full Cancer Facts & Figures 2025 report.