The decline in U.S. cancer mortality from 1991 to 1995: what's behind the numbers?

In 1996, a series of articles and news stories about cancer mortality in the United States proclaimed a "turning point in the 25-year war on cancer." While these articles and stories pointed to a recent decline in overall cancer mortality, they missed some important points about increases in specific types. They also ignored the politics behind the emphasis on smoking and diet as the main contributors to the cancer rates and the racial disparities in the U.S. data. In addition, recent articles on the decline in cancer mortality fail to note the much sharper decline in heart disease mortality. Continued efforts to reduce carcinogenic exposures at work and in the environment are needed to truly reduce the cancer burden.