Cancer now No. 1 killer in 22 states, ahead of heart disease

NEW YORK (AP) - .

Cancer death rates actually have been falling for nearly 25 years, but deaths from heart disease - the No. 1 killer nationwide - have been dropping at a steeper rate.

As a result, in 2014, cancer was the top cause of death in 22 states.

It's also the leading cause of death in certain groups of people, including Hispanics, Asians, and adults ages 40 to 79.

The trend is noted in the American Cancer Society's latest annual report on cancer statistics, released Thursday.

___

Online:

Cancer society report: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21332/full