Inside STAT: Deaths from the most common lung cancer are falling fast

Deaths from the most common type of lung cancer in the U.S. — non-small cell lung cancer — are falling faster than new cases, according to new research. The trend is likely driven by meaningful improvements in treatments, especially those that target genetic mutations behind this type of cancer. Three-quarters of all lung cancer cases in the U.S. are non-small cell lung cancer, and the study found that deaths from the disease in men declined by 3.2% per year between 2006-2013, accelerating to 6.3% drop per year after targeted therapies were introduced in 2013. And in both cases, there were fewer deaths than new cases. The decline in deaths wasn't as steep in women, although the trend followed the same direction, and the improvement was consistent across the four racial groups evaluated in the study. Read more from STAT's Elizabeth Cooney here.