Where We Stand Today

Cancer in America

The national investment in cancer research is making a difference in the lives of Americans every day. However, cancer remains one of our most urgent health concerns and the disease many fear most. This year, more than 1.3 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed and more than a half million people will succumb to the disease.

What the Statistics Tell Us

Overall cancer mortality continues the gradual decline that began in the early 1990s. Deaths from some of the most common cancers — colorectal, breast, and prostate — have declined faster. Lung cancer mortality among men also is falling, and the rate for women is stabilizing. These achievements can be traced to research that has produced better imaging and other diagnostic tools, along with more effective treatments. Information dissemination, a key component of NCI's mission, has improved public understanding of the disease and motivated the increased use of cancer screening tests and adoption of lifestyle changes that minimize cancer risk.

Today, nearly 10 million people are living with a cancer history. Of this growing population, 1.5 million were diagnosed more than 20 years ago. This means that people who develop cancer are living longer and with a better quality of life than ever before. More than two-thirds of people diagnosed with cancer can now expect to live for five years or longer. For children diagnosed with cancer, five-year overall survival now exceeds 75 percent. Increasingly, we are finding cancers at earlier, more curable stages, and our ability to control cancer symptoms that affect quality of life has improved.

The Continuing Need for Research

More than ever before, we understand that cancer is a varied and complex disease. Likewise, our success in preventing, treating, and ameliorating the effects of specific cancers is varied. Despite intensive efforts, we have made marginal progress against the most intractable cancers, such as pancreatic, lung, and liver cancers. For reasons not well understood, the incidence of certain malignancies — including adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, multiple myeloma, and kidney cancer — is rising.

Research also demonstrates that some populations, most notably minorities and the poor, continue to bear a disproportionate cancer burden. Lack of insurance or a steady source of care and sociodemographic limitations are factors that often result in lower utilization of screening services and late diagnosis in these populations. Cancer mapping is helping to target cancer control efforts by revealing — down to the county level — geographic areas in which incidence and mortality for specific cancers are exceptionally high.

Adolescents and young adults with cancer have been an understudied group that has experienced little or no gain in survival rates and whose needs for tailored treatment regimens and psychosocial support are now being recognized. Some evidence suggests that certain cancers common in this age group may have important biological differences compared with the same disease in an older adult.

Further, the risk of being diagnosed with cancer increases with age. Currently, about three–fourths of all new cancer cases occur in people 55 years of age or older. By 2030, the population over age 62 will number almost 83 million, approximately twice its current size. As our population continues to age and life expectancy lengthens or remains constant, we must prepare for a dramatic rise in cancer incidence. By some estimates, the annual number of new cancer cases may double by 2050. It is therefore imperative that effective treatments and symptom control are available to all who need them, and we must develop reliable interventions that prevent cancers from occurring.

We still have much to learn about the most effective ways to reach diverse groups — including youth, the elderly, people of various ethnicities and cultures, rural residents, migrants, and people with limited literacy — with cancer services and related health messages. We must learn how to better communicate up–to–date information about cancer screening, prevention, and treatment, including palliative care, and to encourage the adoption of new interventions by community healthcare workers who provide the majority of cancer care and are responsible for encouraging cancer prevention and early detection behaviors by their patients.