The American Cancer Society's (ACS) recent annual report on cancer statistics shows a substantial 20% drop in cancer deaths overall, with an even bigger drop among middle-aged black men.
The combined cancer death rate has been continuously declining for 20 years, according to the report, and the death rate of middle-aged black men in particular has fallen by about 50%.
"The halving of the risk of cancer death among middle-aged black men in just two decades is extraordinary, but it is immediately tempered by the knowledge that death rates are still higher among black men than white men for nearly every major cancer and for all cancers combined," said ACS CEO John Seffrin, PhD.
Cancer incidence and death rates among black men are approximately double those of Asian-Americans, who have the lowest rates, according to ACS.
The society compiles information each year using incidence data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The latest report estimates a total of 1,665,540 new cancer cases and 585,720 cancer deaths occurring in 2014. Prostate, lung, and colon cancer will account for about half of all newly diagnosed cancers among men, with prostate cancer alone accounting for about one in four cancer cases, the report states.
The three most common cancers among women in 2014 will be breast, lung, and colon, which together represent about half of all cases. Breast cancer alone is expected to account for nearly one-third of all new cancers among women.
