FRANK SESNO, CNN ANCHOR: Researchers say there are some positive developments in the fight against cancer. CNN medical correspondent Holly Firfer joined us now from Atlanta with the results of a new report -- Holly.</s>HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Frank, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, among others, have delivered their annual report to the nation on the status of cancer. And what they find is encouraging. Cancer rates have gone down 0.8 percent a year between the years of 1990 and 1997. And doctors say, that is good news.</s>DR. HARMON EYRE, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: The death rate decline is accelerating. It started down in 1991. But the last two years of data show that it's increased, and so we're saving many more lives than we have done past years.</s>FIRFER: Researchers are contributing this decline to two things: one, they're saying, people getting the message stop smoking, men especially. They found that men, the rates of lung cancer have declined so much, and because they got that message and stopped smoking about 15-20 years ago. And they are seeing the results now. Women, not as quickly, their results haven't gone down yet. But they expect in the next four to five years they will see a decline in lung cancer among women. They did get the message. And the other thing is, early screening and early detection, it can make all the difference in the world -- Frank.</s>SESNO: Holly Firfer, thanks.
Researchers Find Cancer Rates on the Decline