Prostate Ca incidence, mortality declining, report says

Overall cancer death rates have continued to decline in the U.S. among both men and women, among all major racial and ethnic groups, and for all of the most common cancer sites, including prostate cancer, a recent national report shows.

The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2009, is co-authored by researchers from the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. It was published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Jan. 7, 2013) and will also appear in the print issue 3, volume 105 of that publication.

Between 2000 and 2009, death rates among men decreased for 10 of the 17 most common cancers, including prostate and rectal cancer. During the same 10-year period, death rates among women decreased for 15 of the 18 most common cancers, including bladder and rectal cancer.

Between 2000 and 2009, overall cancer incidence rates decreased by 0.6% per year among men and were stable among women. During that time period, incidence rates among men decreased for five cancers, including prostate cancer, and increased for six others, including kidney cancer.

Among women, incidence rates decreased for several cancers, including bladder and rectal cancer, and increased for seven others, including kidney cancer.

The decline in overall cancer death rates continues a trend that began in the early 1990s. From 2000 to 2009, cancer death rates decreased by 1.8% per year among men and by 1.4% per year among women. Death rates among children up to 14 years of age also continued to decrease by 1.8% per year.