In 1971, when it was evident cancer deaths were rising, President Nixon and Congress declared a war on cancer. Finally, after 35 years, it seems we are winning the war.

Experts say the absolute decline in cancer deaths is quite amazing -- because our population is both growing and aging, both of which could contribute to an increased cancer death rate. But prevention, early detection, and early treatment are working wonders and are saving lives for three of the most common cancers -- breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer. More and more men are also surviving lung cancer due to cessation of smoking more than 20 years ago. The female lung cancer death rate is not declining, however, due to continued high rates of smoking.

The highest drop in deaths among the major cancers was for colorectal cancer -- thanks to effective screening methods. Deaths dropped by 1,110 for men and 1,094 for women.

According to an American Cancer Society review of U.S. death certificates, cancer deaths declined by 369 between the years 2002 and 2003. Between 2003 to 2004, the decrease was 3,014 -- more than eight times greater.

Experts predict cancer deaths will continue to decline over the years -- although some expect the obesity epidemic, which increases risk for all cancers, to pop the cancer death rate back up in the long run.