Deaths from cancer continue to fall in the United States, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that the 22% drop in cancer mortality seen during the last 2 decades has resulted in more than 1.5 million cancer deaths being avoided in those years.
However, the burden continues to be substantial: the ACS estimates that 589,430 Americans will die from cancer in 2015, corresponding to about 1600 deaths per day.
Lung cancer death rates declined 36% between 1990 and 2011 among males and by 11% between 2002 and 2011 among females as a result of reduced tobacco use, the ACS points out.
