Report: Cancer deaths have dropped, but alcohol is factor in new cases

Scientific advances helped avert 4.1 million deaths from cancer in the 30 years between 1991 and 2021 according to a new report, but the disease continues to be a public health challenge. 

The report, released Wednesday by the American Association for Cancer Research, showed the cancer death rate dropped by 33 percent between 1991 and 2021. The report attributed the drop in overall cancer mortality to reductions in smoking and improvements in early detection and treatment. 

The cancer death rate for children and adolescents has also declined 24 percent in the past two decades. 

But cancer diagnoses are becoming more common, and the scientific advances have not been uniform for all types and stages of cancer.  

Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in the country. More than 2 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2024, and more than 611,000 people are projected to die from cancer, according to the report. 

The report’s authors noted that despite the overall incidences of cancer stabilizing, cases of pancreatic cancer, uterine cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oral cancers are increasing.  

HPV-associated oral cancers are vaccine-preventable, as are cervical cancers in young adults.  

But despite clear evidence that the HPV vaccine helps prevent cervical cancer, vaccine uptake in the U.S. has been poor. In 2022, only 38.6 percent of people ages 9 to 17 had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. 

The report also noted an alarming increase in certain cancers among younger people. For instance, a growing concern among public health experts is the rising incidence of colon cancer and breast cancer in adults younger than 50. 

According to the report, 40 percent of all cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors. Among these risk factors is excessive alcohol consumption. 

In 2019, 5.4 percent of cancers in the United States — about 1 in 20 — were attributed to alcohol consumption, the most recent year for which data are available, the report found. Alcohol intake at an earlier age can increase cancer risk later in life. 

Excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk for six different types of cancer: certain types of head and neck cancer, a rare type of esophageal cancer, and breast, colorectal, liver, and stomach cancers. 

But awareness about the link between alcohol and cancer is still low, and the report emphasized the need for public messaging campaigns like cancer-specific warning labels displayed on alcoholic beverages.