A recent report from the American Cancer Society which measures cancer cases and deaths through 2018 showed mixed results. U.S. cancer death rates for men, women and communities of color are falling. However, obesity and unequal access to care provide a blueprint for a reversal of this trend. Death rates for lung cancer and melanoma improved quite a bit, but recent progress on breast and colon cancer deaths slowed and prostate cancer death rates flattened after years of decline. “The decrease in smoking is a huge reason,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and former chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society. “Keep in mind it is not just lung cancer, but smoking causes 18 different cancers,” he said.
