BOSTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Healthier lifestyle choices and screening have contributed greatly to the 13 percent decline in U.S. cancer mortality since 1990, a researcher said.
David Cutler of Harvard University found that while reasons for the decline in cancer deaths vary by type of cancer, screening and behavioral changes have contributed equally and substantially.
Behavioral changes such as quitting smoking have had the greatest effect on lung cancer.
"The immense effort put into reducing smoking the past few decades has really paid off," Cutler noted.
Screening has proven especially effective in early detection of colorectal and breast cancer but less so in identifying lung or prostate cancer. Colonoscopies also have a preventive value in removing polyps and so preventing the formation of colon cancer.
The study, published in the fall edition of the Journal of Economic Perspectives, found that treatment of cancer after its detection has been the least decisive of the three factors in cutting the cancer mortality rate.
"We should think about the war on cancer as not just developing the next weapon but using what we have in a smarter way," Cutler said in a statement. "A healthcare system working for cancer would prevent people from getting it, catch it early and then treat people accordingly."
