DOVER, Del. (AP) - Public health officials say screening and early detection have contributed to a decline in Delaware's cancer mortality rate, which nevertheless remains among the highest in the country.
Officials said in a report released Monday that the mortality rate dropped 15 percent from the 1999-2003 period to the 2009-2013 timeframe.
But at 176.1 deaths per 100,000 people, Delaware's mortality rate was still 5 percent higher than the U.S. rate of 168.5 deaths per 100,000 people for the 2009-2013 period.
Delaware ranks 16th among the states in cancer mortality. That's down two spots from 14th highest in last year's report, which looked at the 2008-2012 time period.
Meanwhile, Delaware's cancer incidence rate for 2009-2013, roughly 507 diagnoses per 100,000 people, was 13 percent higher than the comparable U.S. rate.