Death rates for oral cavity and pharynx cancers decreased for men and women from 2001 to 2010, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) annual report on cancer published in the journal Cancer (December 16, 2013).
Mortality rates among men decreased for 11 of the 17 most common cancers (lung, prostate, colon and rectum, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, esophagus, kidney, stomach, myeloma, oral cavity and pharynx, and larynx) and increased for melanoma of the skin, soft-tissue cancers, and cancers of the pancreas and liver, according to the NCI's Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.
During the 10-year period, death rates among women decreased for 15 of the 18 most common cancers (lung, breast, colon and rectum, ovary, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, brain, myeloma, kidney, stomach, cervix, bladder, esophagus, oral cavity and pharynx, and gallbladder) and increased for cancers of the uterus, pancreas, and liver.
The death rates for all cancers combined decreased by 1.8% per year among men and by 1.4% per year among women during the period, according to the report. Death rates among children 14 years of age and younger decreased by 1.9% per year in the period.
However, that death rates increased for some cancers, including cancers of the liver and pancreas for both sexes, cancers of the uterus in women, and, in men only, melanoma of the skin and cancers of the soft tissue in the 10-year period.
Incidence
During the same period, incidence rates decreased for six of the 17 most common cancers among men (prostate, lung, colon and rectum, stomach, larynx, and brain and other nervous systems) and increased for eight others (kidney, pancreas, liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, thyroid, leukemia, melanoma of the skin, and myeloma).
Among women, incidence rates decreased for six of the 18 most common cancers (colon and rectum, bladder, cervix, oral cavity and pharynx, ovary, and stomach), and increased for eight others (thyroid, melanoma of the skin, kidney, pancreas, leukemia, liver, myeloma, and uterus) in the 10-year period.
Overall cancer incidence rates decreased by 0.6% per year among men, were stable among women, and increased by 0.8% per year among children (ages 0 through 14 years) during the period, continuing trends from recent annual reports.
The report was co-authored by researchers from the NCI, the American Cancer Society; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
