Cancer death rates in men and women have decreased for the first time since 1998, according to new figures released by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The improvements are due to gains against some leading cancers -- prostate, colorectal, breast and, for men, lung cancer -- but numerous other types still are on the rise, including melanoma and kidney cancer, the report said.

The figures are not spread evenly across the country, however. Disparities in anti-smoking policies from state to state mean, for example, that men in Kentucky die from lung cancer at twice the rate of men in California, the report said.

To learn more, read the full NCI report here.