Deaths caused due to cancer are on a constant decline in all age groups with younger people topping the charts.

Although researchers say that cancer deaths have considerably reduced, cancer is still the number one killer in the U. S. because the mortality rate caused by heart disease has been decreased faster.

Researchers analyzed mortality rate in cancer patients from 1955 to 2004.

"Age specific cancer mortality rates have been steadily declining in the United States since the early 1950s, beginning with children and young adults and now including all age groups," researchers said.

The early detection, prevention and treatment programs have been instrumental in declining the cancer death rate in the second half of the 20th century.

The steepest decline was observed in the youngest age groups which was 25.9% per decade as compared to the 6.8% observed in the older groups. This difference could be attributed to early advances in the cancer treatment affecting conditions, like childhood leukemia.

Further decline will be seen by screening programs for breast, colon and prostate cancer. A lot of people quitting smoking have also been a major contributing factor to the sharp downward slope of cancer deaths.