Because more noncancer deaths occurred shortly after diagnosis, it appears that this excess was caused by treatment of the cancer. Generally, cancer-specific death rates underestimate the mortality associated with a diagnosis of cancer. Therefore, because the degree of underestimation changes with time, an examination solely of cancer-caused mortality in assessing progress against the disease is incomplete.
For white men and women, there has been an increase in both the incidence of and survival following the diagnosis of cancer; the two effects nearly cancel in our measures. The experience of black men and women has worsened because of increasing incidence or decreased survival.
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