The U.S.'s cancer death rate has fallen by a third since a peak in 1991, sparked by a drop in lung cancer fatalities, according to a report from the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The “Cancer statistics, 2022” report published Wednesday documents a 32 percent decrease in cancer deaths from about 215 deaths per 100,000 people in 1991 to 146 fatalities per 100,000 in 2019 — the most recent year for data.

If the death rate had remained stable since 1991 instead of decreasing, researchers estimate that almost 3.5 million more cancer patients would have lost their lives in the 28-year period. .