'Cancer Statistics, 2022 report is out: Good news -- mortality rates are still on the decline

Annual statistics reported by the American Cancer Society (ACS) have been released for 2022, and they offer good news. The cancer death rate for both men and women, combined, has dropped 32% since 1991 when it peaked, through 2019, the most recent year with available data.

A report by The Hill, provided a look at the ACS's "Cancer statistics, 2022 report which published Wednesday. The cancer death rate dropped by nearly one-third over the past 28 years as a result of a drop in lung cancer fatalities. That would equate to "about 215 deaths per 100,000 people in 1991 to 146 fatalities per 100,000 in 2019."

Had the rate remained as it was in 1991, rather than dropping, researchers estimate that there would have been nearly 3.5 million more cancer deaths in the 28-year period, The Hill noted.

To what can the decline be attributed?

The two things that researchers attribute to the death-rate decline are a higher percentage of people with lung cancer living longer after diagnosis and fewer people smoking cigarettes in recent years, The Hill reported.

CNN Health reported that the ACS expects in 2022 there will be near "1.9 million new cancer diagnoses and more than 609,000 cancer deaths" in the U.S., -- and of those, about "350 deaths per day from lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death."

Between 2015 and 2019, CNN noted that mortality rates for lung cancer dropped about 5% each year while overall cancer mortality dropped about 2% in that time.

Experts say that the continued downward trends are grounds for optimism.

CNN cited Dr. Deb Schrag, chair of the medical department of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who said, "I'm an oncologist, so I'm an inveterate optimist. But I think the key message for the public is that there's room for optimism across all types of cancer."

A three-pronged approach, "with strong, unified efforts across prevention, screening, and treatment," will be necessary, to see continued progress in driving the curve down, Schrag said.

According to the American Cancer Society report, smoking prevention or cessation programs, as well as annual screening can make a big impact.

CNN cited American Cancer Society CEO Karen Knudsen, who told them, "The data actually tells us from a wellness perspective, in every possible way, that quitting smoking at any age, at any time, at any habit level is impactful for someone's health."

Knudsen noted that studies have shown, for someone diagnosed with cancer, no matter what that cancer is -- be it lung cancer or another cancer -- quitting smoking at the time of cancer diagnosis "is strongly associated with a better outcome."

Knudsen further stressed that increased cancer screening for all types of cancer is critical, CNN noted.

Saying she "cannot emphasize this enough," Knudsen urged individuals to ask their primary care physician: "What is the right screening plan for me based on my personal history and my family history and, if I know it, my genetic history?"

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