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What is the number one cancer that kills?

Lung and bronchus cancer is responsible for the most deaths with 130,180 people expected to die from this disease. That is nearly three times the 52,580 deaths due to colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest cancer, causing 49,830 deaths.

seer.cancer.gov - Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites

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Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance Breast, lung and bronchus, prostate, and colorectal cancers account for almost 50% of all new cancer cases in the United States. Lung and bronchus, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers are responsible for nearly 50% of all deaths. New Cancer Cases, 2022 Breast 55 290,560 (15%) Prostate 66 268,490 (14%) Lung & Bronchus 47 236,740 (12%) Colon and rectum 20 151,030 (8%) Other 999 971,210 (51%) Cancer Deaths, 2022 Lung & Bronchus 47 130,180 (21%) Colon and rectum 20 52,580 (9%) Pancreas 40 49,830 (8%) Breast 55 43,780 (7%) Other 999 332,990 (55%) New Cancer Cases, 2022 Cancer Deaths, 2022 How Many People Are Diagnosed with Cancer Each Year? In 2022, roughly 1.9 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States. An estimated 287,850 women and 2,710 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, which makes it the most common cancer diagnosis. Prostate cancer is the leading cancer diagnosis among men and the second most common diagnosis overall with 268,490 expected cases. Lung and bronchus cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis with an estimated 236,740 new cases. The top 12 most common cancer sites, shown below, will account for more than three quarters of all new cancer cases. For more cancer sites, see How Do Cancer Rates Compare? Male Breast 55 2,710 Prostate 66 268,490 Lung & Bronchus 47 117,910 Colorectal 20 80,690 Melanoma of the Skin 53 57,180 Urinary Bladder 71 61,700 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 44,120 Kidney and Renal Pelvis 72 50,290 Uterus 58 0 Leukemia 90 35,810 Pancreas 40 32,970 Thyroid 80 11,860 Female Breast 55 287,850 Prostate 66 0 Lung & Bronchus 47 118,830 Colorectal 20 70,340 Melanoma of the Skin 53 42,600 Urinary Bladder 71 19,480 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 36,350 Kidney and Renal Pelvis 72 28,710 Corpus & Uterus, NOS 58 65,950 Leukemia 90 24,840 Pancreas 40 29,240 Thyroid 80 31,940 How Many People Die of Cancer Each Year? In 2022, an estimated 609,360 people will die of cancer in the United States. Lung and bronchus cancer is responsible for the most deaths with 130,180 people expected to die from this disease. That is nearly three times the 52,580 deaths due to colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest cancer, causing 49,830 deaths. The eight deadliest cancer sites, shown below, will account for almost two-thirds of all expected cancer deaths. For more cancer sites, see How Do Cancer Rates Compare? Male Lung and bronchus 47 68,820 Colon and rectum 20 28,400 Pancreas 40 25,970 Breast 55 530 Prostate 66 34,500 Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct 35 20,420 Leukemia 90 14,020 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 11,700 Female Lung and bronchus 47 61,360 Colon and rectum 20 24,180 Pancreas 40 23,860 Breast 55 43,250 Prostate 66 0 Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct 35 10,100 Leukemia 90 9,980 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 8,550

New Cases, Deaths, and Survival

How Do Cancer Rates Compare? For comparison purposes, new cases and deaths are generally expressed as a rate — the number per 100,000 in the total population. The rate of new cases is known as cancer incidence, and the death rate as mortality. Note that total population changes depending on what group you are looking at, so, for instance, the rate of new cases for females is the rate per 100,000 females in the U.S. The table below gives the predicted number of new cases and deaths in 2022, the age-adjusted rate of new cases and deaths over the most recent five years of data, and the five-year relative survival rate, representing the percent surviving their cancer diagnosis 5-years after diagnosis. You can sort on any column by clicking the header. Both Sexes

Female

Male Site Estimated New Cases (2022) Rate of New Cases (2015–2019) Estimated Deaths (2022) Death Rate (2016–2020) Relative Survival (%) (2012–2018) Anus 9,440 1.9 1,670 0.3 70.1 Bladder 81,180 18.7 17,100 4.2 77.1 Bone and Joint 3,910 1.0 2,100 0.5 67.4 Brain and Other Nervous System 25,050 6.3 18,280 4.4 32.5 Breast 290,560 68.6 43,780 10.8 90.5 Cervix Uteri 14,100 7.8 4,280 2.2 66.7 Colon and Rectum 151,030 37.7 52,580 13.1 65.1 Esophagus 20,640 4.2 16,410 3.8 20.6 Hodgkin Lymphoma 8,540 2.6 920 0.3 89.1 Kidney and Renal Pelvis 79,000 17.3 13,920 3.5 76.5 Larynx 12,470 2.8 3,820 0.9 61.0 Leukemia 60,650 14.1 24,000 6.0 65.7 Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 41,260 9.5 30,520 6.6 20.8 Lung and Bronchus 236,740 52.0 130,180 35.0 22.9 Melanoma of the Skin 99,780 21.5 7,650 2.1 93.7 Myeloma 34,470 7.1 12,640 3.1 57.9 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 80,470 19.0 20,250 5.1 73.8 Oral Cavity and Pharynx 54,000 11.5 11,230 2.5 68.0 Ovary 19,880 10.6 12,810 6.3 49.7 Pancreas 62,210 13.3 49,830 11.1 11.5 Prostate 268,490 112.7 34,500 18.8 96.8 Small Intestine 11,790 2.5 1,960 0.4 68.5 Stomach 26,380 7.1 11,090 2.8 33.3 Testis 9,910 5.9 460 0.3 95.0 Thyroid 43,800 14.6 2,230 0.5 98.4 Uterus 65,950 27.8 12,550 5.1 81.3 Vulva 6,330 2.5 1,560 0.6 70.3 Site Estimated New Cases (2022) Rate of New Cases (2015–2019) Estimated Deaths (2022) Death Rate (2016–2020) Relative Survival (%) (2012–2018) Anus 6,290 2.3 930 0.3 72.6 Bladder 19,480 8.0 4,980 2.0 73.1 Bone and Joint 1,750 0.9 920 0.4 69.5 Brain and Other Nervous System 10,880 5.3 7,570 3.6 34.3 Breast 287,850 128.3 43,250 19.6 90.6 Cervix Uteri 14,100 7.8 4,280 2.2 66.7 Colon and Rectum 70,340 32.8 24,180 11.0 65.7 Esophagus 4,130 1.7 3,160 1.4 22.1 Hodgkin Lymphoma 3,970 2.3 370 0.2 90.2 Kidney and Renal Pelvis 28,710 11.9 4,960 2.2 77.6 Larynx 2,650 1.0 750 0.3 57.7 Leukemia 24,840 11.0 9,980 4.5 65.0 Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 12,660 5.2 10,100 4.1 21.5 Lung and Bronchus 118,830 46.8 61,360 29.3 27.0 Melanoma of the Skin 42,600 17.0 2,570 1.3 95.4 Myeloma 15,370 5.9 5,550 2.5 58.1 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 36,350 15.8 8,550 3.9 75.4 Oral Cavity and Pharynx 15,300 6.4 3,360 1.4 68.8 Ovary 19,880 10.6 12,810 6.3 49.7 Pancreas 29,240 11.8 23,860 9.6 11.6 Prostate - - - - - Small Intestine 5,500 2.1 850 0.4 68.8 Stomach 10,480 5.3 4,400 2.1 38.9 Testis - - - - - Thyroid 31,940 21.3 1,160 0.5 98.9 Uterus 65,950 27.8 12,550 5.1 81.3 Vulva 6,330 2.5 1,560 0.6 70.3 Site Estimated New Cases (2022) Rate of New Cases (2015–2019) Estimated Deaths (2022) Death Rate (2016–2020) Relative Survival (%) (2012–2018) Anus 3,150 1.6 740 0.3 65.5 Bladder 61,700 32.4 12,120 7.1 78.4 Bone and Joint 2,160 1.1 1,180 0.6 65.8 Brain and Other Nervous System 14,170 7.4 10,710 5.4 31.1 Breast 2,710 1.3 530 0.3 83.0 Cervix Uteri - - - - - Colon and Rectum 80,690 43.4 28,400 15.7 64.6 Esophagus 16,510 7.2 13,250 6.7 20.2 Hodgkin Lymphoma 4,570 2.9 550 0.3 88.1 Kidney and Renal Pelvis 50,290 23.6 8,960 5.1 75.8 Larynx 9,820 4.9 3,070 1.6 61.8 Leukemia 35,810 18.0 14,020 8.0 66.2 Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 28,600 14.4 20,420 9.6 20.6 Lung and Bronchus 117,910 58.9 68,820 42.2 19.2 Melanoma of the Skin 57,180 27.6 5,080 3.1 92.4 Myeloma 19,100 8.8 7,090 3.9 57.8 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 44,120 23.0 11,700 6.7 72.5 Oral Cavity and Pharynx 38,700 17.4 7,870 3.9 67.7 Ovary - - - - - Pancreas 32,970 15.1 25,970 12.7 11.4 Prostate 268,490 112.7 34,500 18.8 96.8 Small Intestine 6,290 2.9 1,110 0.5 68.3 Stomach 15,900 9.3 6,690 3.8 29.7 Testis 9,910 5.9 460 0.3 95.0 Thyroid 11,860 7.7 1,070 0.5 96.2 Uterus - - - - - Vulva - - - - - How Do the Most Common Cancers Compare by Race/Ethnicity? The rate and type of cancer diagnosis varies significantly by race and ethnicity. The graph below shows the age-adjusted rate of new cases, by race and ethnicity, for the four most commonly diagnosed cancers. Site All Races NH White NH Black NH API NH AI/AN Hispanic Female Breast 55 128.3 137.6 129.6 106.9 111.3 99.9 Colon and rectum 20 37.7 38.1 44.3 30.7 49.0 34.4 Lung & Bronchus 47 52.0 58.4 56.1 35.4 48.3 27.4 Prostate 66 112.7 110.0 183.4 59.6 70.3 88.6 View Data Table Cancer death rates, or mortality rates, also vary significantly by race and ethnicity. The graph below shows the age-adjusted death rate, by race and ethnicity, for the five most commonly diagnosed cancers. Site All Races NH White NH Black NH API NH AI/AN Hispanic Female Breast 55 19.6 19.7 27.6 11.7 17.6 13.7 Colon and rectum 20 13.1 13.1 17.6 9.1 17.2 10.7 Lung & Bronchus 47 35.0 38.0 37.2 19.8 34.2 15.4 Pancreas 40 11.1 11.2 13.6 7.5 10.3 8.8 Prostate 66 18.8 17.8 37.5 8.6 19.5 15.3 View Data Table

Trends in Rates

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What Are the Recent Trends in Rates of New Cancer Cases? Between 2015 and 2019, the overall age-adjusted rate of new cancers remained stable among men and remained stable among women. During this period, eight of the 19 most common cancers in men and nine of the 21 most common cancers in women showed statistically significant decreases in new cases. For men, laryngeal cancer showed the greatest decrease. For women, ovarian cancer showed the greatest decrease. Trends In New Cases Male Prostate 66 1 3.7* Kidney and Renal Pelvis 72 1 1.2* Melanoma of the Skin 53 1 1.1* Pancreas 40 1 0.9* Testis 67 1 0.8* Oral Cavity and Pharynx 3 1 0.7* Myeloma 89 1 0.6* All Sites 1 0 -0.2 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 1 -0.4* Brain and Other Nervous System 76 1 -0.4* Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 35 0 -0.5 Leukemia 90 0 -0.5 Esophagus 17 0 -0.6 Thyroid 80 0 -1.0 Hodgkin Lymphoma 83 1 -1.1* Colon and Rectum 20 1 -1.2* Stomach 18 1 -1.3* Bladder 71 1 -1.9* Lung and Bronchus 47 1 -2.8* Larynx 46 1 -2.9* Female Myeloma 89 1 1.4* Melanoma of the Skin 53 1 1.4* Uterus 58 1 1.3* Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 35 1 1.2* Pancreas 40 1 0.8* Kidney and Renal Pelvis 72 1 0.8* Breast 55 1 0.5* Oral Cavity and Pharynx 3 1 0.4* Cervix Uteri 57 0 0.4 Stomach 18 0 0.1 All Sites 1 0 0.0 Leukemia 90 0 -0.1 Esophagus 17 0 -0.1 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 1 -0.5* Brain and Other Nervous System 76 1 -0.5* Hodgkin Lymphoma 83 1 -1.0* Colon and Rectum 20 1 -1.0* Lung and Bronchus 47 1 -1.1* Bladder 71 1 -1.3* Larynx 46 1 -2.3* Thyroid 80 1 -2.4* Ovary 61 1 -2.7* Male Female AVERAGE ANNUAL PERCENT CHANGE (AAPC) 2015–2019 What Are the Recent Trends in Cancer Death Rates? Between 2016 and 2020, overall age-adjusted death rate decreased on average 2.2 percent per year for men and 2.0 percent for women. During this period, fourteen of the 19 most common cancers in men and fifteen of the 21 most common cancers in women showed statistically significant decreases in death rates. Thyroid cancer showed the greatest increase in death rates among men. Uterine cancer showed the greatest increase in death rates among women. Trends In Death Rates Male Thyroid 80 1 0.7* Oral Cavity and Pharynx 3 1 0.4* Brain and Other Nervous System 76 1 0.4* Testis 67 0 0.3 Pancreas 40 1 0.2* Prostate 66 1 -0.6* Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 35 1 -0.8* Esophagus 17 1 -1.3* Kidney and Renal Pelvis 72 1 -1.8* Myeloma 89 1 -1.9* Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 1 -2.0* Colon and Rectum 20 1 -2.0* All Sites 1 1 -2.2* Leukemia 90 1 -2.2* Bladder 71 1 -2.3* Stomach 18 1 -2.5* Larynx 46 1 -2.5* Melanoma of the Skin 53 1 -2.9* Hodgkin Lymphoma 83 1 -3.0* Lung and Bronchus 47 1 -5.3* Female Uterus 58 0 0.8 Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 35 1 0.5* Oral Cavity and Pharynx 3 0 0.5 Brain and Other Nervous System 76 1 0.3* Thyroid 80 0 0.0 Pancreas 40 0 0.0 Cervix Uteri 57 1 -0.7* Breast 55 1 -1.3* Esophagus 17 1 -1.5* Kidney and Renal Pelvis 72 1 -1.7* Stomach 18 1 -1.8* Myeloma 89 1 -2.0* All Sites 1 1 -2.0* Colon and Rectum 20 1 -2.1* Leukemia 90 1 -2.2* Larynx 46 1 -2.3* Bladder 71 1 -2.4* Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 86 1 -2.7* Ovary 61 1 -3.3* Melanoma of the Skin 53 1 -3.8* Lung and Bronchus 47 1 -4.3* Hodgkin Lymphoma 83 1 -4.8* Male Female AVERAGE ANNUAL PERCENT CHANGE (AAPC) 2016–2020 Additional Information Average annual percent change (AAPC) is the year-to-year change averaged over a period of time, in this case, 5 years. Positive AAPC describes an increasing trend and a negative AAPC a decreasing one.

Cancer in Context

How Does Cancer Compare to Other Causes of Death? Cancer caused 17.8% of all deaths in the United States in 2020. Deaths due to heart disease and cancer caused nearly half of all deaths in the United States. Cancer is the leading cause of death for those under 65 years of age. Leading Causes of Death in the U.S., 2020 Heart Disease 250 696,937 Cancer 201 602,347 Accidents (Unintentional Injury) 251 200,932 Chronic Lower Respiratory 253 152,653 Stroke (Cerebrovascular) 249 160,262 Alzheimer's 263 134,242 Diabetes 254 102,187 Nephritis & Nephrosis 258 52,546 Pneumonia & Influenze 252 53,542 Intentional Self-Harm (Suicide) 256 45,977 Leading Causes of Death in the U.S., 2020 What Are the U.S. Death Rates? In the United States, heart disease death rates have decreased for people of all ages. In 1975, heart disease among those less than 65 caused 26% of deaths, compared to 16% in 2020. In those over 65, heart disease caused 44% of deaths in 1975, compared to 22% in 2020. Neoplasms have slightly increased for people of all ages. In 1975, neoplasms for those less than 65 accounted for 22% of deaths in the United States, compared to 18% in 2020. In those over 65, neoplasms caused 18% of deaths in 1975, compared to 18% in 2020. Ages <65 Year Heart Disease Cancer Rate Per 100,000 % of Total Deaths Rate Per 100,000 % of Total Deaths 1975 98.6 26 84.0 22 1976 95.9 26 84.3 23 1977 92.6 26 84.3 23 1978 90.4 26 84.2 24 1979 88.3 26 83.3 24 1980 86.9 26 83.7 24 1981 84.9 26 82.8 25 1982 82.0 26 83.0 26 1983 80.7 26 82.7 26 1984 78.3 25 83.3 26 1985 76.6 25 83.2 26 1986 74.0 24 82.2 26 1987 71.5 23 81.7 26 1988 69.1 22 81.3 26 1989 65.1 21 80.5 26 1990 62.4 21 80.1 26 1991 61.0 20 79.2 26 1992 59.7 20 77.4 26 1993 59.5 20 76.2 26 1994 57.8 20 75.0 26 1995 56.9 20 73.4 25 1996 55.5 20 71.7 26 1997 53.4 21 69.7 27 1998 51.4 20 67.9 27 1999 49.4 20 66.9 27 2000 47.7 19 65.5 27 2001 46.6 19 64.9 26 2002 46.3 19 63.7 26 2003 45.3 19 62.3 26 2004 43.1 19 60.4 26 2005 42.6 18 59.7 26 2006 41.5 18 58.5 26 2007 40.0 18 56.9 26 2008 39.5 18 55.8 26 2009 38.3 18 55.3 26 2010 37.4 18 54.2 27 2011 37.1 18 53.4 26 2012 36.9 18 53.0 26 2013 36.9 18 52.0 26 2014 37.1 18 51.5 25 2015 37.3 18 50.5 25 2016 37.5 17 49.7 24 2017 37.2 17 48.3 23 2018 37.3 17 47.2 23 2019 36.8 17 46.0 22 2020 40.6 16 45.3 18 Ages 65+ Year Heart Disease Cancer Rate Per 100,000 % of Total Deaths Rate Per 100,000 % of Total Deaths 1975 2734.9 44 995.2 18 1976 2747.4 44 1018.3 18 1977 2656.3 44 1023.3 19 1978 2643.2 44 1035.4 19 1979 2595.8 45 1042.7 19 1980 2652.4 44 1059.1 19 1981 2568.9 44 1060.7 20 1982 2524.7 44 1074.6 20 1983 2532.4 44 1083.5 20 1984 2468.6 43 1093.0 20 1985 2449.2 42 1097.2 20 1986 2389.6 42 1107.5 21 1987 2333.4 41 1111.8 21 1988 2321.1 40 1120.3 21 1989 2184.9 39 1139.1 22 1990 2102.7 39 1147.4 22 1991 2054.6 38 1154.0 23 1992 1995.9 38 1153.7 23 1993 2027.9 37 1161.8 22 1994 1954.3 37 1157.0 23 1995 1927.5 36 1153.6 22 1996 1878.5 36 1142.2 22 1997 1828.4 35 1128.5 22 1998 1791.7 35 1119.6 22 1999 1766.3 34 1125.9 22 2000 1698.3 33 1119.8 22 2001 1648.2 32 1104.4 22 2002 1611.1 32 1097.2 22 2003 1551.7 31 1079.7 22 2004 1449.7 30 1060.8 22 2005 1415.4 30 1053.2 22 2006 1333.7 29 1036.1 22 2007 1268.7 28 1025.1 22 2008 1240.5 28 1009.5 22 2009 1174.6 27 989.8 22 2010 1143.6 27 984.1 22 2011 1114.4 26 966.2 22 2012 1089.7 26 950.7 22 2013 1087.2 26 933.1 21 2014 1065.1 25 921.5 22 2015 1077.2 25 908.4 21 2016 1051.4 25 891.2 21 2017 1050.1 25 874.4 21 2018 1039.2 25 854.5 21 2019 1024.8 25 837.5 21 2020 1049.7 22 825.0 18 Ages <65 View Data Table Ages 65+ View Data Table

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Download data and images Share links to results SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology. Explore Additional Cancer Statistics

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seer.cancer.gov - Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites

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