Such was the reaction of the press lately when news came that cancer death rates were down at last- the first time in 70 years. Unfortunately, when you look at the figures a little closer they are not that impressive. The number of cancer deaths dropped to 557,272 in 2002 to 556,902 in 2003. Just 370 out of 557,272 cases or around seven-hundredths of one percent. At that rate, cancer will be eliminated in 1,500 years.
What did not make the news is that while death fell in men by 778, at the same time, they rose by 409 in women?