Cancer report shows a mixed bag

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Women are being diagnosed with cancer at a higher rate than in the past — but death rates for women with the disease are down, says a report published July 8, 2021, in JNCI: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers came to these conclusions looking at population-based data obtained from national registries and data banks. They found several noteworthy trends among women when looking at cancer incidence and death over a five-year period (2013 to 2017 for incidence and 2014 to 2018 for mortality):

• Death rates decreased for 14 of the 20 most common cancers in women, but increased for five types (uterus, liver, brain/nervous system, pancreas, and soft tissue, including the heart) and remained ­stable for one type (oral cavity/pharynx).
• The death rates for lung cancer and melanoma saw the largest decreases.
• Breast cancer death rates continued to drop, but at a slower rate than in the past.
• Overall cancer death rates decreased in every racial and ethnic group from 2014 to 2018.
• Cancer incidence was slightly lower among Black people than whites; however, cancer death rates were higher among Black people when compared with whites.