Cancer deaths continue to decline

January 29, 2025

New cases of cancer and mortality, 1975-2022

Source: Siegel, RL CA-A Journal for Clinicians, January 20, 2025

Cancer care is a key driver of the increase in medical care costs. New cancer drugs are very expensive, often costing between $10,000 and $20,000 a month. Newer cancer drugs are often oral, have far fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy, and are much more effective at prolonging life for many cancers that were previously resistant to treatment.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) published its review of incidence and mortality data through 2022 this week, and cancer mortality continued to decline. They used data from SEER registries (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program) and national cancer registries, and comparisons are based on registries.

New cases of cancer, 1975-2022

Above is the rate of new cases of various types of cancer, and below are the mortality rates of various types of cancer. Lung cancer cases and deaths are tapering off as fewer people smoke, although cigarette smoking represents the largest preventable cause of cancer. Although incidence of breast and prostate cancer is up, death rates continue to decline.

Mortality from cancer, 1930-2022

Source: Siegel, RL CA-A Journal for Clinicians, January 20, 2025

The ACS notes that if rates of cancer death had continued to increase at the 1990 rate, there would have been almost 4.5 million excess cancer deaths from 1990-2022. Disparities persist, and the researchers estimate that if Black people received colorectal cancer screening at the rate of white people that would decrease colorectal cancer deaths by 19% in that population.

Implications for employers:

• The extra expense in cancer care is purchasing better outcomes, with fewer people dying each year from most types of cancer.

• Finding earlier cases of screenable cancers, especially breast and colorectal cancers, has helped lower mortality rates. Employers can focus attention on increasing screening rates in minoritized populations.

• Efforts to decrease cigarette smoking have led to a striking decline in incidence and mortality from lung cancer.

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Tomorrow: Study confirms hospital consolidation associated with higher unit costs