Cancer Death Rates Falling in the U.S.

It appears that encouraging Americans to be proactive in their health care through lifestyle changes, checkups and screening procedures that allow for early cancer detection is paying off. Cancer rates, which have been falling by approximately one percent a year since 1993, have improved even more recently.

From the American Cancer Society (ACS):

Previous studies had shown cancer death rates in the US decreasing by an average of 1.1% a year from 1993 through 2002, a steady decline credited to the effectiveness of prevention efforts, new screening methods and wider use of early detection, and better treatments that have extended life expectancy after diagnosis. Those benefits appear to be accumulating more rapidly, with the latest report showing evidence that the decline in cancer deaths nearly doubled from 2002 through 2004, with an average decrease of 2.1% seen each year.

Read the ACS Report: Decline in Cancer Death Rate Doubles

Quit Smoking Now!

With hundreds of poisonous and/or carcinogenic chemical compounds in cigarette smoke, smokers face a significant risk for many forms of cancer.

If you smoke, use the resources and support available here at About.com Smoking Cessation to help you put your tobacco habit in the past, where it belongs.

• Smoking Cessation Support Forum

• Quit Smoking 101 - A Free Email Course

_{Image: Photoxpert}