latest data, the three leading causes of death in the United States in 2017 were heart disease, cancer and accidents or unintentional injuries.
Meanwhile, on a global scale, the number of people around the world who have cancer appears to be growing, according to the World Health Organization.
A WHO report released in September estimated that there were 18.1 million new cancer cases and 9.6 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2018 alone. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally.
A ‘surprising’ trend emerges
The American Cancer Society study was based on cancer incidence, mortality and survival data in the United States from sources including the National Center for Health Statistics; the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Rules Program; the
National Program of Cancer Registries; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
Some of the data date as far back to 1930, and the most recent data is from 2016.
The data showed that the nationwide cancer death rate climbed during