Cancer deaths take over deaths caused by heart disease

The American Cancer Society has revealed that cancer has taken over heart disease as the number one cause of death in Americans under 85. This is because deaths from heart disease are reducing at a greater rate than deaths from cancer. Roughly one if four people die from cancer in America. In 2002, 476,009 Americans under 85 died from cancer compared to 450,637 from heart disease. It is estimated that 570,280 people will die from cancer in 2005. The greatest reduction in cancer deaths has been due to greatly reduced numbers of smokers but better screening and treatments have also helped. The American Cancer Society claims that a third of all cancer deaths are due to smoking and another third is due to obesity and poor diet. The best way to avoid dying from cancer is to have a healthy diet, exercise, don't smoke and have regular health checkups. The estimated numbers of deaths in 2005 from a variety of cancers are as follows: lung cancer - 163,510 deaths; colon cancer - 56,290 deaths, breast cancer - 40,870; prostate cancer - 30,350; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - 19,200 deaths; and melanoma - 7,770 deaths.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by CBC News

Related Disease Topics:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Lung cancer
• Colon cancer
• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Melanoma
• Skin cancer

Article Source Details

About: Cancer deaths take over deaths caused by heart disease

Date: 20 January 2005

Source: CBC News

URL: http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/01/20/cancer-050120.html

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Statistics
• Diet
• Exercise
• Research and heart disease
• Research and cancer
• Research and smoking
• Research and obesity
• Research and lung cancer
• Research and colon cancer
• Research and breast cancer
• Research and prostate cancer
• Research and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Research and melanoma
• Research and skin cancer
• Research
• Diagnosis
• Diagnosis and heart disease
• Diagnosis and cancer
• Diagnosis and smoking
• Diagnosis and obesity
• Diagnosis and lung cancer
• Diagnosis and colon cancer
• Diagnosis and breast cancer
• Diagnosis and prostate cancer
• Diagnosis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Diagnosis and melanoma
• Diagnosis and skin cancer
• Risk and heart disease
• Risk and cancer
• Risk and smoking
• Risk and obesity
• Risk and lung cancer
• Risk and colon cancer
• Risk and breast cancer
• Risk and prostate cancer
• Risk and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Risk and melanoma
• Risk and skin cancer
• Cause of heart disease
• Cause of cancer
• Cause of smoking
• Cause of obesity
• Cause of lung cancer
• Cause of colon cancer
• Cause of breast cancer
• Cause of prostate cancer
• Cause of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Cause of melanoma
• Cause of skin cancer
• Death from heart disease
• Death from cancer
• Death from smoking
• Death from obesity
• Death from lung cancer
• Death from colon cancer
• Death from breast cancer
• Death from prostate cancer
• Death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Death from melanoma
• Death from skin cancer
• Diagnosis and heart disease
• Diagnosis and cancer
• Diagnosis and smoking
• Diagnosis and obesity
• Diagnosis and lung cancer
• Diagnosis and colon cancer
• Diagnosis and breast cancer
• Diagnosis and prostate cancer
• Diagnosis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Diagnosis and melanoma
• Diagnosis and skin cancer
• Diagnosis

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