CNN U S Cancer Death Rate Hits 25 Years of Decline Study Says Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 08 January 2019 16:17 PM America/Los_Angeles CNN U S Cancer Death Rate Hits 25 Years of Decline Study Says Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, heads Cedars-Sinai Cancer. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. CNN.com interviewed Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer for a Jan. 8 story about the steady drop in the rate of people dying from cancer in the U.S. The decline in cancer deaths-a whopping 27 percent-has occurred over more than two decades. The CNN.com story was based on an American Cancer Society study that was published Jan. 8 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. That good news translates to about 2.6 million fewer cancer deaths than would have occurred if death rates remained at their peak in 1991, according to the study. That year, there were 215.1 deaths per 100,000 people nationwide. The rate dropped by 1.5 percent per year to 156 per 100,000 people in 2016, according to the CNN report. "I would say that this is the best data out there for the oncology community and those concerned with healthcare in America," Theodorescu, who was not involved in the study, told CNN.com. The study also showed a narrowing of the disparity in cancer death rates between African-American and white patients. Theodorescu and other experts attribute the reason for the overall decline in cancer deaths to less smoking, improvements in detecting cancer and notable advances in cancer treatments. Still, the American Cancer Society study showed that socioeconomic inequalities in cancer deaths widened over the last three decades. Between 2012 and 2016, the overall cancer death rate was about 20 percent higher among those who live in the poorest U.S. counties, compared with those living in the wealthiest ones. The three leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2017 were heart disease, cancer and accidents or unintentional injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why the persistent disparity? "Poverty has been a relentless obstacle to receiving cancer care because of lack of, or low insurance coverage," Theodorescu told CNN.com. "No insurance or low-coverage insurance reduces the incentive to visit the doctor for symptoms and even more for preventive health practices, such as smoking cessation, yearly physicals, and immunizations against cancer-causing viruses." The Cedars-Sinai Research Center for Health Equity is addressing the pressing needs for the reduction of health inequities through research and research-driven community outreach and engagement in Los Angeles County, one of the nation's most diverse counties. Click here to read the complete CNN article Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories Cancer Patient Sails Again September 19, 2022 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Jeannea Jordan, who turns 80 in October, is a local sailing pioneer who began racing and cruising her 30-foot sailboat 25 years ago when few women were part of the sport. When a tumor on her spine ran her aground last year and her oncologist at … Read more Study Active Surveillance an Effective Option for Thyroid Cancer September 15, 2022 08:01 AM America/Los_Angeles A novel clinical trial from Cedars-Sinai Cancer shows that active surveillance is an effective treatment for many low-risk thyroid cancer patients. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, also showed for the first time that patients who opted for … Read more Study Patients Prefer Stool Test to Colonoscopy September 12, 2022 10:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Three-quarters of people prefer to do a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) rather than a colonoscopy for their regular colorectal cancer screening, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study.Unlike colonoscopies, FIT doesn’t require lengthy preparation, … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release CNN U S Cancer Death Rate Hits 25 Years of Decline Study Says Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home