The war America's winning

Fewer people are dying of cancer. In fact, the decline rate in cancer deaths has nearly doubled. Researchers predict the rate of cancer deaths will be halved by 2015.

This is a welcome turn in the war on cancer declared in 1971 by then-President Richard Nixon. Since that president's initial $100 million down payment, hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into cancer research and the result is amazing advances in cures and treatments.

For example, deaths from breast cancer have been dropping over the past two decades. Credit a focus on research and treatment, but also credit education that resulted in behavioral changes, including fewer menopausal women using hormone treatments.

The second round of the two-pronged approach to this war comes from broad outreach, underscoring prevention and early detection. Colorectal cancer remains the No. 2 cancer killer, but fewer people are dying of the disease due to early screening. Same story with antismoking programs, which are credited with a decline in lung-cancer deaths among men.

Make no mistake: Cancer remains a grave health threat. It is the second-leading cause of death after heart disease, with 559,650 deaths expected this year. But medicine is gaining the upper hand. Some 12,000 fewer will die of cancer this year than died last year.

A number of them will be patients in our region seeking treatment at the stellar lineup of cancer-care options, which include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington Medical Center and Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center.