A new study by the American Cancer Society shows the cancer death rate in the U.S. dropped 2.2% from 2016 to 2017, the largest single-year drop ever recorded, continuing a longstanding decline that began a quarter-century ago. The drop is largely driven by progress against lung cancer, though the most rapid declines in the report occurred in melanoma.
That’s great news for doctors like Alykhan Nagji, who treats lung cancer patients at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. In the video, Dr. Nagji says one of the reasons for the decline is better and more frequent screenings for all kinds of cancer. He adds that the overall drop in the smoking rate in the United States is a big factor. He also talks about how new and better treatments and prevention measures have helped slow the rate of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
