General Prevalence Statistics
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Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. 17, 27
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The most common cause of cancer-related death is lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer accounts for 25% of all lung caners. 17, 18, 27
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Colorectal cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the U.S. and has the second highest mortality rate, accounting for roughly 140,000 new cases and 55, 000 deaths each year. 29
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Oral cavity and oropharynx cancers represent ~3% of all malignancies in men and 2% of all malignancies in women. 30
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Skin cancer incidence in the U.S. has increased, and the exposure to ultraviolet radiation is a major risk factor. 43
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Keratinocyte carcinoma is the most common cancer in the US. Basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas account for 80 and 20 percent of that respectively. 1
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An estimated 50-80% of the skin's lifetime sun damage is thought to occur in childhood and adolescence, it is during this period that intense, and intermittent sun exposure causes melanoma risk. 36
Gender Prevalence
Half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop cancer during
their lifetimes.33, 6
In the U.S., lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer in men for years and since 1988 it has also become the number one cause of cancer death in women, the impact of lung cancer related death far outstretches breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined. 6
Males
The three most common cancers in men in the U.S. are:
- Prostate cancer
- Lung cancer
- Colon cancer
Prostate cancer remains the most common solid tumor and is the second leading cause of death from cancer among US men. 33 Cancer of the testicles--accounts for only about 1 percent of all cancers in men, according to the National Cancer Institute. Despite nearly twice the estimated cases of prostate cancer in men, estimated deaths from lung cancer are nearly 3 fold higher 17. Breast cancer affects men too; however, women are at nearly a 100 times greater risk. 28
Females
In women here, the three most frequently occurring cancers are:
- Breast cancer
- Lung cancer
- Colon cancer
Estimated cases of breast cancer are nearly 2.5 fold higher than lung cancer, but the estimated death rate for lung cancer is nearly 2 fold higher.12 [top]
Age Prevalence
- An estimated 80 million people will comprise an age group of 65 years and older by the year 2050. 7
- Currently 60% of all cancers occur in persons over 65 years of age, and cancer in older people is becoming more common, with an estimated 80% in this population by 2050. 7
- A general trend is seen here, spanning across many forms of cancer, as age increases so does the prevalence or incidence rate of cancer also increase. 44
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Ethnic Prevalence
Residents of poorer countries have 13% higher death rates from cancer in men and 3 % higher rates in women compared with affluent countries. 46 The highest incidence rate of gallbladder cancer is found among populations of the Andean area, North American Indians, and Mexican Americans, and is up to 3 times higher in women than in men in all populations. 25 Although incidence rates are declining over the past decade, African Americans still carry the highest cancer burden among any US racial and ethnic group. For unknown reasons, the testicular cancer is about four times more common in white men than in black men.14.15 Similarly trends in prostate cancer are highest amongst the African American population. 33
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