Deaths caused by most forms of cancer are falling across the US, according to a major annual report, but still, there are several types of the disease that continue to have rising fatalities.
A new report from the NIH and American Heart Association (AHA) shows overall cancer deaths have declined steadily over the past 20 years — even during the COVID-19 pandemic — with annual decreases of 1.7 percent for men and 1.3 percent for women between 2018 and 2022.
Overall cancer rates in men remained steady from 2013 to 2021 (not counting the unusual year of 2020), but for women, rates slowly increased by about 0.3 percent each year from 2003 to 2021.
Cancer death rates in children have steadily declined, and rates among teens and young adults have also dropped—though progress has recently slowed. Advances in treatment, early detection, and supportive care have played a big role in improving survival.
But deaths from melanoma and other skin cancers, as well as those of the mouth and pharynx, bones and joints, pancreas, uterus, and liver, are increasing.
Experts say several factors are to blame, including high rates of obesity, which drives pancreatic, uterine, and liver cancer-causing inflammation, hormone imbalances, and delayed or difficult diagnosis.
An aging population also fuels cancers, such as those of the bones, pancreas, and liver, since older cells have had more time to accumulate DNA damage — and weaker immune systems make it harder to fight disease.
And lack of access to early detection tools affects nearly all cancers, especially oral and skin cancers, which can often go unnoticed or misdiagnosed until later stages when treatment is more difficult, contributing to higher mortality.
Increased deaths from liver, pancreas, uterine, bone, oral, and skin cancers are driven by high obesity rates, viral infections, an aging population, and limited access to early detection
Among the cancers with rising rates, symptoms often begin subtly, not prompting someone to seek medical care right away.
Melanoma, a serious skin cancer, often appears as a new or changing mole that may itch, bleed, or fail to fade.
Cancers of the mouth and throat can cause persistent sores, swallowing difficulties, hoarseness, or unusual lumps. Bone and joint cancers frequently lead to worsening pain (especially at night), swelling, or unexpected fractures.
Pancreatic cancer may cause upper abdominal pain, jaundice (the yellowing of the skin and eyes), and digestive issues. Liver and bile duct cancers typically cause jaundice, right-sided abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss.
Uterine cancer often reveals itself through abnormal vaginal bleeding or pelvic pressure.
While these symptoms can have other causes, persistent or worsening signs warrant immediate medical attention for proper evaluation.
The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer tracks new cancer cases, deaths, and trends in the US, using data from the NIH, CDC, National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
Researchers drew from CDC programs and US Census data to account for demographic shifts and examined the impact of Covid, focusing on how the pandemic disrupted early detection.
While the death rates fell overall, certain cancers showed increases in mortality rates from 2018 to 2022
They analyzed monthly trends in eight cancers—mainly those typically caught through screenings or routine care—across multiple registries.
At the state level, the researchers looked at how cancer rates where linked to how different states handled the pandemic with three specific factors: how strict the state’s Covid restrictions were, how many people died from Covid, and how much mammogram use changed from 2018 to 2020.
States with more stringent Covid policies – like masking and school closures – experienced larger declines in cancer incidence, particularly for cancers like female breast, thyroid, and others.
These differences were minimal, however.
While there was some correlation between the severity of Covid restrictions and cancer incidence declines, this geographic component did not fully explain the decline.
Other factors like Covid death rates and changes in mammography utilization were also considered, but did not show a significant impact on the decline at the state level.
The report showed death rates in men increased among cancers of the pancreas (0.3 percent per year), bones and joints (1.8 percent), oral cavity and pharynx (2.1 percent), and non-melanoma skin cancer (2.4 percent) from 2018 to 2022.
This set of four US maps shows how the Covid pandemic may have affected cancer care. The first map shows where cancer diagnoses dropped the most from 2019 to 2020. The second shows how strict Covid policies were in each state. The third highlights areas with the highest Covid death rates. The fourth shows where breast cancer screenings (mammograms) declined the most between 2018 and 2020
In women, death rates increased for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx (up 1.1 percent), corpus and uterus (1.1 percent), liver and intrahepatic bile duct (0.7 percent), and pancreas (0.2 percent) during this period.
Progress in reducing cancer deaths overall is largely the result of declines in both incidence and death rates for lung cancer and several other smoking-related cancers, according to the NIH.
New diagnoses and deaths from lung cancer, for example, have declined in both men and women over the past 20 years.
The report does not provide a specific explanation for why death rates for certain cancers rose, but are likely linked to a combination of factors such as delays in early detection, limited advances in treatment, or the aggressive nature of these cancers.
Specifically, tobacco use is a known contributor to oral cancer, while diet and obesity are known risk factors for cancers of all types.
From 2001 to 2022, the cancer death rate among children from newborn to 14 dropped by 1.5 percent per year.
Death rates for adolescents and young adults also declined until recently, when the decline slowed and stabilized, the NIH said.
The childhood cancer incidence rate began to decrease by 0.8 percent per year starting in 2015 after increasing by 1.3 percent per year since 2003.
Pediatric cancer care has made significant progress over the past few decades, including chemotherapy, surgeries, and targeted immunotherapies, causing survival rates to tick up.
Researchers also reported that the overall number of cancer cases in the US was about 461 per 100,000 people, with men seeing higher rates than women
In 2020, the rate of new cancer diagnoses was about eight percent lower than expected. This drop is attributed to pandemic-related disruptions in healthcare, which affected routine screenings, doctor visits, and access to healthcare services.
Cancer death rates generally continued to decrease during the period 2018–2022, with an average annual decrease of 1.7 percent for men and 1.3 percent for women.
However, the pandemic may have influenced this trend, particularly in 2020, when diagnoses were likely delayed and cancers were detected at later stages when they are often harder to treat and have a lower survival rate.
Researchers found no evidence of data issues or reporting delays; the 2020 decline was real and significant.
Similarly to men, the death rate from lung and bronchus cancer in women decreased the fastest, with an average annual drop of 3.4 percent from 2018 to 2022.
Researchers also reported that the overall number of cancer cases in the US during the four years combined was about 461 per 100,000 people, with men seeing higher rates than women. Rates among men declined from 2001 to 2013 and remained stable through 2021.
The researchers observed notable monthly trends in cancer incidence, specifically identifying decreases during certain months that were likely linked to reduced medical visits during the COVID-19 pandemic
From 2001 to 2013, cancer rates in men dropped by about 1.6% to 2.2% each year, and then stayed steady through 2021. For women, cancer rates didn’t drop—instead, they rose slightly, going up by about 0.3% each year from 2003 to 2021.
Among women, rates have slowly risen since 2003; specifically, eight of the most common cancers, including breast, uterine, pancreatic, and stomach cancers. Stomach cancer had the steepest rise, particularly among Black women.
Among men, rates rose for cancers like prostate, pancreas, and testicular cancer but declined for lung, brain, and colorectal cancers.
Prostate cancer had the sharpest increase, especially among API men, while lung cancer saw the most significant decline.
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people had the highest overall cancer rates, followed by White and Black populations.
Asian/Pacific Islander (API) people had the lowest rates.
‘From 2018 to 2022, cancer deaths decreased for each major racial and ethnic population group,’ the NIH said.
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