The overall drop in death rates means 898,000 individuals who would have died from lung cancer over the last 17 years did not, according to a report issued by the American Cancer Society. From 2001 to 2007 male lung cancer deaths fell by 1.9% annually, while for women from 2002 to the end of 2007 rates dropped by 1.5% per year.

This is the first recorded drop in female lung cancer deaths in recorded history.

1,596,670 new cancer cases of any type and 571,950 deaths from cancer of any type are expected to occur in the USA this year (2011).

People without a senior high school education in the USA have 2.6 times the risk of dying from any cancer compared to those with college degrees.

With the exception of American Indian women and Alaska Native women, death rates in all ethnic and racial groups in both sexes in America have dropped. Among American Indian women and Alaska Native women the rates have remained virtually the same.

Overall cancer death rates fell by 1.9% annually among men from 2001 through 2005, and 0.6% in women since 1998. Over the last couple of years death cancer rates in males have remained stable.

The largest yearly falls in cancer death rates were observed in Hispanic (-2.5%) and African-American (-2.6%) men.

Women started smoking later than men did over the last century - this has been reflected in lung cancer death rates over the same period. While women's rates rose steadily since the 1930's, male rates started to fall ten years earlier (in the late 1980s early 1990s).

Lung cancer continues to be the largest cancer killer in the USA for both males and females, and is expected to account for 26% of all female cancer deaths this year. The second male cancer killer is prostate cancer, while breast cancer has that position for females.

Lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer make up over 50% of all cancer deaths in America (both sexes). Colon cancer is the third largest killer for both sexes.

Further highlighted details from the report: African-American males have a 14% higher rate of new cancers (all types) than US males in general African-American males have a 33% higher rate of new cancers (all types) than Caucasian males African-American females' overall new cancer rate is 6% lower than females in general African-American females' overall new cancer rate is 17% higher than Caucasian females 31% of males with