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Science Snippet: Cancer Death Rate

Here’s some good news. The death rate from cancer in the U.S. has reached a 25-year low. From 1991 to 2016, the death rate has dropped 1.5 percent per year, or an overall decline of 27 percent. In 1991, there were 215 cancer deaths for every 100,000 people, and by 2016, the rate was 156 deaths per 100,000. The bad news is that this reduction does not apply to those of low socioeconomic status. The decline is mostly attributed to a reduction in smoking and advances in the detection and treatment of cancers.

Source: livescience.com; Jan. 8, 2019; written by Rachael Rettner.