The annual health report on cancer in the United States was produced by such heath organizations as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

According to the report, overall all types of cancer within the United States dropped by almost 1% per year from 1999 to 2006.

And, deaths from cancer, generally decreased about 1.6% a year from 2001 to 2006.

These diagnoses and deaths decreased primarily due to efforts to reduce the risk of cancer such as early detection, improved treatments and therapies, better diets, and less tobacco smoking.

For men, the most frequent occurring types of cancer are lung, prostate, and colorectal. However, all three types of cancer showed decreases in diagnoses and deaths. In addition, new cases of cancer in the area of the brain, stomach, and oral cavity also decreased.

Also, the rate of pancreatic cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma did not change in men. However, the rate of brain, esophagus, kidney, and liver cancers in men increased. There was also an increase for melanoma and myeloma in men.

Men dropped about 2% in rates of lung cancer death.

Page two talks about rates of cancer in women over the past several years, and a dramatic decrease in colorectal cancer for both men and women.

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For women, breast and colorectal cancer continued to show declines in diagnoses and deaths from cancer.

They are two of the leading types of cancers for women in the United States. However, new cases of lung cancer increased for women.

For both men and women, rates of death decreased for colorectal, stomach, kidney, and brain cancers, as well as for leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and myeloma.

For instance, during the last quarter of the twentieth century, colorectal cancer decreased about 22%.

Thomas Frieden, CDC director, stated, "This report shows that we have begun to make progress reducing colorectal cancer. Yet, colorectal cancer still kills more people than any other cancer except lung cancer.” [12/8/2009 Wall Street Journal: “Cancer Rates Continue to Fall in the U.S.”]

The U.S. health report on cancer stated that overall cancer rates, in general, continue to have a higher percentage for men than for women. However, men showed a greater decrease in new cases and deaths from cancer when compared to women.

For additional information, please read the December 7, 2009 WebMD article “Cancer Death Rate Continues to Fall.”