Cancer Deaths in the U.S. Decrease by 22 Percent

The American Cancer Society confirmed that deaths because of cancer in the United States have decreased by about 22 percent.

The health organization cited advances in medical technology, smoking cessation programs, healthier lifestyles and early detections of the disease as the primary factors behind the decline of cancer-related deaths.

The report by the American Cancer Society was published in its bi-monthly peer-reviewed medical journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

For the study, the researchers collated data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Cancer Institute and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Based on the information the researchers gathered, over the past 20 years, deaths in the country attributed to cancer dropped by 1.5 million.

According to the researchers, lung cancer is the deadliest form of the disease and accounted for 27 percent of all cancer-related deaths. This is followed by prostate cancer among men and breast cancer for women.

Although the report indicates a positive improvement in the fight against cancer, John Seffrin, the CEO of the American Cancer Society, warned that cancer is still a deadly disease and is becoming a leading cause of death, the Voice Chronicle reported.

"Cancer still remains a leading killer," he said in a statement. "Cancer was responsible for nearly one in four deaths in the United States in 2011, making it the second leading cause of death overall."

"It is already the leading cause of death among adults aged 40 to 79, and is expected to overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death among all Americans within the next several years," he added. "So we can't celebrate yet."

Seffrin noted that the percentage of people saved from the deadly disease can still be increased in the future through proper medical assistance and awareness, according to Medscape.

"The change may be inevitable, but we can still lessen cancer's deadly impact by making sure as many Americans as possible have access to the best tools to prevent, detect and treat cancer," he said.