Drop...

Researchers have reported the largest-ever single-year drop in cancer death rates in the United States.

The rate of deaths from cancer fell 2.2 percent from 2016 to 2017. That is the largest drop since record-keeping began in 1930.

The information comes from a new report by the American Cancer Society. The group announced the report’s findings Wednesday.

The Cancer Society says that overall death rates from cancer have fallen about 1.5 percent each year since 1991. Better treatments for lung cancer are part of the reason for the falling numbers, said Rebecca Siegel. She was the lead writer of the report.

“Lung cancer has been the most common cause of cancer death in the United States, and now…we have better therapies for our patients and … patients are living longer and better than ever before.”