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Cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of chronic illness and death in the United States, but we are seeing improvements. The overall cancer death rate has dropped because of reductions in smoking, advances in treatment and early detection for some cancers. Adult cancer incidence (the rate of new adult cancers occurring in a population over time) has declined for some, but not all cancer types. Cancer death rates in children have decreased significantly since 1970, largely due to improvements in the treatment of childhood cancers.

More information on childhood and adult cancer is available on the following sub-pages:

Cancer