More than 2 million Americans will get cancer this year: Here's what you should know.

Although U.S. cancer cases will eclipse 2 million for the first time this year, there is some good news: lower smoking rates, earlier detection and improved treatments have lowered death rates over the past three decades, a new report said.

The American Cancer Society's annual cancer statistics report projects 611,720 cancer deaths this year, a slight increase from a year ago. The cancer death rate dropped 33% from 1991 through 2021, according to the most recent statistics available, the group said.

Officials said people are increasingly being diagnosed in middle age – younger than when diagnoses happened a generation ago – and they are likelier to survive longer. But experts said there are worrisome signs because of Americans' alarming obesity rate and the rising rate of colorectal cancer among young adults.

The report offers "some really good news" noting that cancer death rates are falling, said William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.

But he said researchers are concerned increasing rates of certain types of cancer "may be a window into what's happening with the obesity epidemic."

"Cancers driven by obesity such as pancreas, kidney, postmenopausal breast cancer and liver cancers are increasing," Dahut said.

Here's a look at the state of cancer in 2024:

Cancer trends and findings

The American Cancer Society collected the most recent data on cases through 2020 from cancer registries and mortality data through 2021 from the National Center for Health Statistics. The report uses data from these sources to project cases and deaths.

The report said rates are increasing for six of the 10 most common cancers: breast, prostate, melanoma, kidney, pancreas and uterine.

Lung, colorectal and pancreas cancers cause the most deaths. More than 125,000 Americans will die of lung cancer in 2024 − nearly 2.5 times as many deaths as are projected from colon cancer. Cigarette smoking will cause more than 101,000 lung cancer deaths, and another 3,500 projected deaths will be linked to second‐hand smoke.

Overall, Americans are more likely to survive a cancer diagnosis compared with people a generation ago. The five-year survival rate improved from 49% in the mid-1970s to 69% from 2013 to 2019.

Cancers of the thyroid, prostate and testicles have the highest survival rates. Pancreas, liver and lung cancers have the highest mortality rates.

Colon cancer afflicting younger adults

Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and it ranks as the second leading cause for women under 50; breast cancer remains No. 1. Two decades ago, colon cancer was the fourth leading cause of death in men and women.

Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, the senior author of the study, said the mortality rates among young adults show how vital it is for people to screen for the disease, including with stool-based tests.

Primary care and prevention experts from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend adults 45 to 75 get screened for colon cancer. Colonoscopies remain the gold standard for colon cancer screening, but consumers can also use methods that detect signs of the disease in stool. These tests are usually less expensive than a colonoscopy and don't require the prep work. People who test positive on a stool test are referred to a colonoscopy.

Jemal noted that up to 1 in 3 people diagnosed before 50 have a family history of colorectal cancer. Those high-risk individuals should start screening before they turn 45, he said.

"We really need to understand why rates are increasing in those (younger) age groups," said Jemal, a senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society.

Other researchers say nongenetic factors must be studied to learn why younger people are getting colorectal cancer.

Dr. Xavier Llor, director of the GI Cancer Prevention Program at Yale Cancer Center, said that a wide range of factors must be studied. While obesity and diets high in processed foods might contribute to rising rates, it doesn't explain younger, health-conscious adults who are also getting diagnosed.

'We have a big chunk of cases that we really don't have a good explanation for," Llor said. "We'll have to study this very hard."

He's left with a burning question: "What's going on?"

HPV vaccine linked to lower cervical cancer rates

Cervical cancer rates have increased by 1% to 2% each year from 2012 through 2019 among 30- to 44-year-old women. However, rates are sharply lower among women in their 20s, which could be a reflection of how effective HPV vaccination is among younger women. The vaccine, which prevents HPV infections that may lead to cancer, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said among teenage girls, HPV infections that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 88%.

The report said the figures show the importance of screening young adults and promoting broader HPV vaccination. HPV vaccination coverage in adolescents between 13 and 17 ranged from 33% in Mississippi to 79% in the District of Columbia.

Racial, ethnic disparities persist

Wide disparities exist in certain types of cancer even though some have become less pronounced over the past two decades.

Cancer death rates among Black people were 33% greater than among white people in 1993. That gap narrowed to 13% from 2013 through 2019, in part, due to lower smoking rates among Black youth in recent decades.

Black men had the highest overall cancer rates in part, due to an "extraordinary burden" of prostate cancer, the report said. Black women's death rate from uterine cases was double the rate among white women. Black women's breast cancer mortality rate was 41% higher than white women's.

The report attributed these disparities to structural racism, wealth inequalities and uneven access to cancer prevention, detection and treatment.

What can I do to lower my cancer risk?

About 42% of all cancers can be prevented through lifestyle changes or other factors, Dahut said. Perhaps the biggest change a person can make is to quit smoking before 30, he said.

He also recommended people exercise regularly, or at least make lifestyle adjustments as simple as office workers getting up and moving around from their chairs. He also advised people to drink less alcohol and work to reduce obesity.

"There are things we can do, things that your mom probably told you to do growing up," Dahut said. "Exercise, eat well, get your shots, don't smoke.

If people do that, he said, "We can have (a) significant decrease in overall cancer mortality."

Ken Alltucker is on X, formerly Twitter, at @kalltucker, or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com.