Federal health statistics: Cancer now the No. 1 killer in Wisconsin

NEW YORK — Cancer is becoming the No. 1 killer in more and more states as deaths from heart disease have declined.

Federal health statistics show heart disease is still the leading cause of death nationwide, just ahead of cancer. While death rates for both have been falling for nearly 25 years, heart disease has dropped at a steeper rate.

As a result, cancer moved up to the top slot in Wisconsin, Minnesota and 20 other states in 2014. 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 released Thursday, January 7th.

The cancer society predicts there will be nearly 1.7 million new cancer cases this year, and nearly 600,000 deaths.