Facts & Figures 2021 Reports Another Record-Breaking 1-Year Drop in Cancer Deaths Facts & Figures 2021 Reports Another Record-Breaking 1-Year Drop in Cancer Deaths Written By:ACS Medical Content and News Staff January 12, 2021 The death rate from cancer in the United States has continued to decline. From 1991 to 2018, the cancer death rate has fallen 31%. This includes a 2.4% decline from 2017 to 2018 – a new record for the largest one-year drop in the cancer death rate. These are just some of the findings from the annual statistics reported by the American Cancer Society (ACS). In Cancer Statistics, 2021 and its consumer-friendly companion, Cancer Facts & Figures 2021, ACS researchers estimate that in the US in 2021, almost 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed. And more than 600,000 people will die from cancer.