Marking what many cancer researchers are calling an important trend, the actual number of cancer deaths in the United States fell by more than 3,000 from 2003 to 2004, the most recent year for which mortality data are available. The steady decline in the rate of cancer deaths also continued. 

The downturn from 556,902 deaths in 2003 to 553,888 in 2004 marks the biggest single-year decrease ever and the second consecutive year in which actual deaths - not just the death rate - have dipped.

"This decrease in actual number of cancer deaths, coupled with our SEER data showing a decline in the rate of cancer deaths since 1991, is extremely encouraging and highlights real progress," said NCI Director Dr. John E. Niederhuber.  Read more  

Last week, the entire nation received the excellent news that, for the second year in a row - and for only the second time ever - the actual number of cancer deaths in the United States fell.

As a nation, our population is still growing and living longer, which makes this decline even more significant. It also further demonstrates the importance of closely tracking and studying incidence and death rates. Read more  

The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads the national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. For more information on cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov. NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.