Cancer Statistics from NCI/ACS

In the United States:

Estimated new cancer cases in the United States for the year 2002, according to the American Cancer Society (Year 2002 Surveillance Research from the American Cancer Society). It is estimated that about 555,500 Americans will die from cancer, corresponding to 1,500 deaths per day. Cancers of the lung and bronchus, prostate, and colon and rectum in men, and cancers of the lung and bronchus, breast, and colon and rectum in women continue to be the most common causes of cancer deaths. These four cancers account for more than half of the total cancer deaths among men and women. Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women since 1987 and is expected to account for about 25 percent of all female cancer deaths in 2002.

Note: You can compare 2001 estimated statistics below:

• All types of cancers except basal and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ carcinomas except urinary bladder cancer: 1,284,900 new cases, and an estimated 555,500 deaths in the year 2002. The breakdown of some of these cancers are as follows:
• An estimated 205,000 new cases of Breast Cancer, with an estimated number of deaths at 40,000.
• An estimated 189,000 new cases of Prostate Cancer, with 30,200 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 183,200 new cases of Lung and bronchial Cancer, with 161,400 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 279,100 new cases of Genital system cancers, with 57,100 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 30,300 new cases and 29,700 deaths due to Pancreatic Cancer.
• An estimated 107,300 new cases of Colon Cancer, with 48,100 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 17,000 new cases of brain and nervous system cancers, with 13,100 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 30,800 new cases of leukemias, with 21,700 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 2,400 new cases of bone and joint cancer, with 1,300 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 28,900 oral and pharynx cancers, with 7,400 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 58,300 new cases of skin cancer, such as skin melanoma (excluding basal & squamous), with an estimated 9,600 deaths.
• Multiple myeloma - an estimated 14,600 new cases and 10,800 deaths
• Lymphomas - an estimated 60,900 new cases and 25,800 death
• Other and unspecified primary sites - an estimated 30,200 new cases, with 43,700 deaths.
• For childhood cancers, an estimated 9,100 new cases are expected to occur among children aged 0 -14, with 1,400 deaths. Cancer is the chief cause of death by disease in children between the ages of 1 and 14.

This same report gives the actual reported cancer deaths for 1999. It doesn't show the figures for 2000 or 2001.

A total of 549,838 cancer deaths were recorded in 1999 in the United States, up by 8,306 deaths compared with 1998. Adjusting for changes in rules for selecting underlying cause of death reduced the increase in the number of cancer deaths to 4,624. Cancer deaths accounted for 23 percent of all deaths, ranking second only to death from heart disease. When deaths were categorized by age and sex, cancer was by far the leading cause of death among women aged 40 to 79 and among men aged 60 to 79. In contrast, cancer ranked fifth as a cause of death among men aged 20 to 39.

Among men under age 40, leukemia was the most common fatal cancer, while lung and bronchus cancer ranked first for men aged 40 years and older. Colorectal cancer was the second most common site causing death among men 40 to 79 years old. Among women under age 20, leukemia was the leading cause of cancer death; breast cancer ranked first as the cause of cancer death for women between age 20 to 59 years, and lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death for women aged 60 years and above.

Cancer declines overall, but some types increase

Reported NEW YORK (Reuters Health) June 06, 2001

According to a report in the June 6th issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers led by Dr. Holly L. Howe of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries in Springfield, Illinois., over much of the 1990s, deaths from cancer declined slightly in the US, but the number of Americans diagnosed with certain cancers--including breast, skin and liver cancer--inched up.

Overall, both cancer deaths and diagnoses declined slightly between 1992 and 1998. Women, however, did not see a decline in new cancer cases--largely because more older women were diagnosed with breast cancer and because of higher rates of early detection of the disease. Other cancers with less-than-encouraging numbers included cancer of the liver and bile duct, which may be attributed to growing rates of hepatitis B and C, two liver infections that can lead to cancer. New cases of the skin cancer melanoma also rose during the 1990s, part of which may be explained by earlier detection. Some other relatively rare cancers showing upswings in new cases and deaths, included thyroid cancer, cancer of the small intestine and acute myeloid leukemia.

On the other hand, the four major cancer killers in the US--breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers--showed mostly positive trends. Except for breast cancer, which showed slight yearly increases, new cases of these cancers dipped over the study period. Deaths attributable to these cancers also declined, except for lung cancer among women--although this increasing trend appears to be slowing.

 The National Cancer Institute (NCI) updates cancer statistics annually in a publication called the SEER Cancer Statistics Review (CSR). This report summarizes the key measures of cancer's impact on the U.S. population. Data included in the books are compiled by the SEER Program, which has monitored occurrence of cancer and survival of patients since 1973 in 10 percent of the U.S. population.

Cancer mortality data on all deaths occurring in the United States are obtained from the NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics). The projections of the number of new cancer cases and cancer deaths in the United States are obtained from the American Cancer Society, and population data are obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The American Cancer Society tracks cancer occurrence, including the number of deaths, cases, and how long people survive after diagnosis. In the year 2000, about 552,200 Americans were expected to die of cancer, more than 1,500 people a day. The total deaths predicted for 2001 is 553,400, almost the same as last year's expected number.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease. In the US, one in two men come down with cancer in their lifetime, one in three for women, and 1of 4 deaths is from cancer.

Since 1990, approximately 13 million new cases were diagnosed, with nearly five million lives lost to cancer since 1990. Some calculate this as one person dying of cancer every minute. These estimates exclude non-invasive cancers (except noninvasive urinary bladder cancer) and do not include basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers.

Skin cancers are more common than cancers of any other organ, and over 1.3 million cases of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer were expected to be diagnosed in 2000.

Estimated new cancer cases and deaths in the United States for the year 2000, according to the American Cancer Society (Year 2000 Surveillance Research from the American Cancer Society):

• All types of cancers except basal and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ carcinomas except urinary bladder cancer: 1,220,100 new cases, and an estimated 552,200 deaths in the year 2001. The breakdown of some of these cancers are as follows:
• An estimated 184,200 new cases of Breast Cancer, with an estimated number of deaths at 41,200.
• An estimated 180,400 new cases of Prostate Cancer, with 31,900 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 164,100 new cases of Lung and bronchial Cancer, with 156,900 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 265,900 new cases of Genital system cancers, with 59,000 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 28,300 new cases and 28,200 deaths due to Pancreatic Cancer.
• An estimated 93,800 new cases of Colon Cancer, with 47,700 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 16,800 new cases of brain and nervous system cancers, with 13,000 estimated deaths.
• An estimated 30,800 new cases of leukemias, with 21,700 estimated deaths.

And Reuters just released data that the American Cancer Society's annual report on cancer facts and figures, shows that the number of new cancer cases and deaths in the US for 2001 is predicted to increase slightly from last years figures. Although the total numbers are rising, it is being reported that cancer rates have been slowly dropping in the US throughout the 1990s. They say the increase in total cases reflects the fact that the US population is growing. The report indicates:

• The total number of people who will get a diagnosis of cancer is likely to reach 1,268,000 in 2001, marginally up from 1,220,100 predicted for 2000.
• Total deaths predicted for 2001 -- 553,400 -- is almost the same as last year's expected number, 552,200.
• The increase in obesity in the United States is likely to increase cancer deaths in those cancers associated with obesity.
• Prostate cancer heads the list of new cases, with 198,100 new diagnoses expected, followed by breast cancer with 193,700 new diagnoses and 135,400 cases of colorectal cancer.
• Lung cancer is likely to stay at the head of the list of cancer deaths with 157,400.

According to the ACS report, people are expected to survive slightly longer after a diagnosis of cancers - The five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined being 60% - an increase of 1% from what was reported by the American Cancer Society in 2000.

In the United States, it is said that the overall annual costs for cancer equal $107 billion; and that $37 billion of that amount accounts for direct medical costs. Treatment of breast, lung, and prostate cancers account for more than half of the direct medical costs.

 Cancer on the rise in Britain

February 27, 2001
LONDON (Reuters) - According to official figures recently published, the incidence of cancer in England and Wales has risen by around 20% in men and 30% in women since 1970. Between 1950 and 1999, the proportion of deaths due to cancer rose from 15% to 27% for men and from 16% to 23% for women. (Note: The National Statistics Office says this may be due to better reporting of cases.)

According to the study, as mortality from heart disease, stroke and infectious diseases has fallen, more people now die from cancer than from other major causes of death. One in three people there will develop cancer during their life and one in four people will die from the disease.

The report found that cancer occurs mainly in older people and the numbers of cases rise more quickly with age in women than in men owing largely to cancers of the breast and cervix. In men, under three percent of cases occur in those under 40, and 19% in those under 60, while for women the figures are six and 28%.

Survival from some cancers, such as melanoma of the skin and testicular cancer, has improved dramatically since the early 1970s, while survival from some of the highly fatal cancers such as those of the lung and pancreas has shown little change. It showed that women have higher survival than men for many cancers and for most cancers, survival is lower in patients who are older when they are diagnosed. For most of the common cancers, survival in Britain is lower than in several comparable European countries. The position compared with the United States is even worse.