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A recent report from the nation’s leading cancer organizations shows that

death rates from all cancers for American men and women continued to

decline between 2000 and 2009. The findings come from the latest Annual

Report to the Nation on the Status a/Cancer.

Dana-Farber President and CEOphoto for figures dropping

Edward Benz Jr., MD, says that while

improvements are needed, the results

are encouraging. “People are surviving

more and we are getting better at preventing

some cancers,” said Benz. “But

we’re not taking advantage of all the

ways to detect cancers at an early stage when they can be the most curable.”

The overall cancer incidence rate decreased for men and remained stable for

women. While cancer incidence rates among children age 14 or younger

increased slightly (0.6 percent each year from 1992 through 2009), overall death

rates for cancer among children have steadily declined since at least 1975.

Noting that there is plenty of work to be done to continue this trend, Benz

said that the good news is that prevention strategies such as vaccinations for

human papillomavirus (HPV) can have a big effect on incidence and death

rates. “Many of the things that are still a problem in these statistics can be

changed,” said Benz.

Courtesy of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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