October was indeed a month to celebrate. Previously, cancer death rates decreased by an average of 1.1 percent every year from 1993 through 2002. That decline has been credited to the effectiveness of prevention efforts, new screening methods, wider use of early detection, and better treatments. Now, however, the benefits of these improvements appear to be accumulating even more rapidly.

From 2002 through 2004, cancer deaths decreased by an average 2.1 percent, a near doubling of the previous average and a very encouraging trend!

It’s all chronicled in the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, a collaborative effort of the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

“The evidence is unmistakable: We are truly turning the tide in the cancer battle,” said John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. “The gains could be even greater if everyone in the United States had access to essential health care, including primary care and prevention services."

For the full news release and for a report on the American Cancer Society’s recent and well-publicized initiative on access to health care, please click here.

For the full news story, please click here.