A tipping point in the fight against cancer?

Scientists are feeling very hopeful that a first-ever decline in cancer rates, a sign that technological improvements, early detection, and prevention may be setting us down the road toward a victory against the second-biggest killer in the United States and many other countries. 

There is some pessimism, though. Aging baby boomers might mean a tick back up in cancer rates, while the economic crisis might mean a reduction in research dollars, a deterioration in prevention efforts, fewer people able to afford medical treatments needed to fight cancer, and other issues.