Health officials in Bermuda are hoping the number of cancer deaths will fall when latest figures are released.

About 3,000 fewer people died from cancer in the United States in 2004 compared to 2003 — continuing a trend in a fall in the number of deaths from cancer which health officials hope will continue as more people get earlier screenings and less people smoke.

As the Bermuda statistics usually follow American trends, cancer awareness workers on the Island are upbeat about the change in numbers.

"We too read the report and although the drop is minuscule, it is still a decline. To screening and educational support groups such as ours, it is confirmation that people are definitely listening to our message, 'early detection saves lives'," said Pauline Girling, spokeswoman for TB Cancer & Health.

Ms Girling said that when TB Cancer & Health learned about the statistics, they looked at their own figures on file.

"We keep monthly stats at our facility on both mammography screening numbers and categories and bone densitometry screening numbers and categories," she said.

"As soon as we read about the decline in deaths in the US report, we looked over our figures and found that although the overall number of patients screened at our facility during 2004, in 2005 and 2006 it is slightly up. The breakdown of numbers in the age group categories tells an interesting story.

"The statistics point to a continuing upward trend in the number of women age 35 and under who are being screened and also an increase in the number of women 65 and over who are being screened. The numbers in the core age group, 36 to 64 years old, remains fairly constant year over year."

TB Cancer & Health has been urging Bermudians with a family history of breast cancer to undergo earlier health screenings.

She said she believed that the message that TB Cancer & Health has been trying to get out to the public — that early screenings in the case of a family history save lives, is getting across to people.

"We believe this is being taken seriously and acted upon by women of Bermuda who are 35 and under," she said. "And also for women as they age (65 and older) they are now understanding the importance of continuing their annual mammography screening as part of their ongoing standard health care regime. Its all very encouraging to us at TB Cancer."