Keystone Today

There were 549 deaths from cancer reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending June 26, making up 22.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 26, there were 2,475 deaths in the state. 22.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.2 percent were from cancer and 3.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.4 percent of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	556	22.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	549	22.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	126	5.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	76	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	68	2.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	53	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	49	2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	33	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	182	7.4