Cancer Deaths down by 22 Percent, American Cancer Society Reports

1.5 million American lives were saved from cancer, the American Cancer Society reported. According to the group, deaths related to cancer have fallen by 22 percent over the past two decades.

"The continuing drops we're seeing in cancer mortality are reason to celebrate, but not to stop," John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, said in a press statement reported by CBS News. "Cancer was responsible for nearly one in four deaths in the United States in 2011, making it the second leading cause of death overall. It is already the leading cause of death among adults aged 40 to 79, and is expected to overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death among all Americans within the next several years."

The report found that the cancer death rate per 100,000 people has fallen from 215 in 1991 to 169 in 2011. In 2011, cancer was responsible for killing more than 302,000 men and 274,000 women.

The researchers believe that the drops in the smoking rates have contributed significantly to the decline in cancer-related deaths. They added that better detection devices that can diagnose cancer earlier have also helped reduce the death rate.

"Really, it's due to screening, as well as improved treatment," Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, the cancer society's vice president of surveillance and health services research, said in regards to deaths from colon, prostate and breast cancers. "It's really remarkable."

The researchers noted that despite the drop, cancer is expected to surpass heart disease and become the leading killer in America.

"Cancer is a collection of maybe 200 diseases," Dr. Jemal explained reported by WebMD. "It's not like heart disease, where you have maybe some variation but it is a single entity compared to cancer."

In 2015, there will be an estimated 1,658,000 new cancer cases and more than 589,000 cancer-related deaths.

The data were collected from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics.

The report was published in the journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.