• Each day: 1,500 people in the U.S. will die of cancer
• Each year: 1,220,100 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer
• Ultimately: One in four people in the U.S. will die of cancer
  
  

Chances are, this global killer has touched you -- or one of your loved ones.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. behind cardiovascular disease. And, although the most recent statistics show a slight decline in the cancer death rate over the past 6 years, it is projected that cancer will become the leading cause of death in the U.S. There are three reasons for this projection. One is that deaths from cardiovascular causes are expected to decline due to behavioral changes and new drugs. Secondly, cancer is caused by multiple, accumulating genetic mutations and therefore cancer rates increase with prolonged life spans. Finally, the medical treatment of cancer still has many unmet needs.

According to the most recent report on the subject (Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1973-1998, Featuring Cancers with Recent Increasing Trends, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, June 6, 2001 Vol. 93, Issue 11, pages 824-842) the rates for new cancer cases and deaths for all cancers combined continued to decline in the United States. The report includes new data for the period between 1992 and 1998. In a news release accompanying the report, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson stated "This welcome news on declining rates underscores the incredible progress we've made against cancer, but it also reminds us that our fight is far from over."

New Cancer Cases: Between 1992 and 1998 the number of new cancer cases per 100,000 persons per year declined on average 1.1 percent per year. This reversed a pattern of increasing incidence rates from 1973 to 1992. Most of the decline was due to a 2.9 percent yearly decline in white males and a 3.1 percent yearly decline in black males.

Cancer Death Rates: Between 1992 and 1998, overall cancer mortality declined 1.1 percent per year. Cancer death rates fell by 1.6 percent per year for men and 0.8 percent per year for women between 1992 and 1998.

Leading Cancer Types: As of 1998, four cancer sites

• Breast
• Lung
• Prostate
• Colorectal
  
  

• 16.3% of all cancer cases with a 40% increase since 1973
• 7.8% of all cancer deaths
  
  

Breast cancer death rates have continued to decline despite the large increase in incidence rates. It is suspected that improvements in early detection and treatment have led to the incidence rate jump, although the degree to which other factors, such as more obesity and post-menopausal hormone use, may contribute to the increase is unknown.

Lung Cancer:

• 13.2% of all cancer cases with a 1.6 percent per year decline from 1992 to 1998
• 29% of all cancer deaths
  
  

Overall, lung cancer incidence rates decreased 1.6 percent per year from 1992 to 1998, due largely reductions in tobacco smoking since the 1960s.

Prostate Cancer

• 14.8% of all cancer cases with an average 5.7 % per year decline from 1992 to 1998
• 5.9% of all cancer deaths
  
  

Incidence rates for prostate cancer increased sharply starting in the late 1980s with the introduction of screening for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). More recently, however, rates have decline significantly. Death rates have also declined by 3.5% per year between 1992 to 1998.

Colorectal Cancer

• 11.6% of all cancer cases with sharply different rates among racial and ethnic groups
• 10.5% of all cancer deaths
  
  

Incidence rates from colorectal cancer increased until1985, then decreased 1.8 percent per year through 1995, and leveled out through 1998. A 1.8 % per year decrease in death rates occurred between 1992 and 1998 due to detection of earlier stages of the disease and more effective treatments

Ten Other Cancers with Increasing Incidence or Mortality

The following table provides 1998 incidence and mortality for 10 other cancers highlighted in the 2001 cancer statistics report because they had either an increase in incidence or an increase in mortality between 1992 and 1998. These cancers are relatively rare, together accounting for about 13 % of all cancer cases and all cancer deaths.

For more details on cancer statistics, it is suggested you visit one of the following web sites:

www.seer.cancer.gov       www.cdc.gov/cancer/    www.naaccr.org/