The media seems to be full of bad news recently, with one coming right after the other. For example, just as David Bowie passed away today due to the disease, cancer is now the lead killer in almost half the states.
- There are over 100 known types of cancer that can be present in humans
- Deaths related to cancer account for around 14 percent of all worldwide deaths
- In order of incidence, the 5 most common cancers in men are those of the lung, stomach, liver, colorectal and esophagus
- In order of incidence, the 5 most common cancers in women are those of the breast, lung, stomach, colorectal and cervical
- Tobacco is the world’s leading preventable cause of cancer, causing 22% of all cancer deaths
- Over 30% of cancers can be avoided with a healthy enough lifestyle
More and more states have started to see cancer as the number one cause of death, according to a new report by CDC, as deaths cause by heart disease have started to drop in prevalence.
So as not to create confusion, I have to state that heart disease is still the leading cause of death nation-wide, but it was surpassed by cancer in nearly half of all American states.
Even though the death rates have been steadily dropping for the past 25 years for both diseases, it would seem like those for heart disease have been dropping faster.
This led to cancer replacing heart disease as the number one cause of death in 22 states starting with 2014.
According to the latest report released last Thursday by the American Cancer Society, not only has cancer become the leading cause of death in 22 states, but also for a number of social and ethnic groups, like Asians, Hispanics, and adults aged 40 to 79.
Cancer had its peak in 1991, and since then cancer rates have been decreasing, with 2015 showing a 23% drop since then. Meanwhile heart disease death rates have dropped 46% in the interval.
There are multiple factors responsible for the decline of cancer rates, most important of which being advances in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
Despite the significant drop in prevalence, the American Cancer Society estimates over 1.7 million new cases of cancer developing in 2016, as well as over 600,000 deaths caused by the fatal disease.
Below, you can find a list of the 22 states where cancer is the number one killer.
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Delaware
Idaho
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oregon
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Image source: Wikimedia
Jessica White says
People gain risks of cancer due to the poor enviroment and heavier pressure. In additon, the unhealthy lifestyle is also the cause of cancer. Although therapies of cancer is developing, prevention is more meaningful to people.https://goo.gl/5jkOXq