Office of Medical Communications

In January 2021, the American Cancer Society (ACS) released their annual report on cancer facts in the US. The report estimates the number of new cancer diagnoses and deaths for the current year and are some of the most widely quoted cancer statistics in the world. The full article, Cancer Statistics, 2021 was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The findings are also available in a companion report, Cancer Facts and Figures 2021, and available at the interactive Cancer Statistics Center website.

Dr. Brian Sprague, Director of the Vermont Breast Cancer Surveillance System and Associate Professor of Surgery at the Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont and Senior Epidemiologist at the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health discussed the latest ACS findings with local TV network WCAX.

Dr. Sprague also provided additional insight for this piece, stating “the decline in cancer mortality in the US represents improvements in prevention, screening, and treatment for many cancers.” He noted that lung cancer makes up 25% of all cancer deaths in the US, more than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined and emphasized that the decline in lung cancer mortality is the biggest contribution to the observed overall decline in cancer mortality in the USA. Tying these national statistics back to Vermont, Dr. Sprague indicated that it has been estimated that one third of cancer deaths in VT are due to smoking.

For information and resources on how to quit smoking, please visit:

802Quits: Help for quitting smoking, using tobacco products, or vaping: 800-784-8669 (phone support for youth 13 and older)

quitSTART: Free mobile app that helps you quit smoking with tailored tips, inspiration and challenges. (Android and Apple iOS versions available)

This is Quitting: Mobile app available for Android and Apple iOS users.