Visualizing the Facts: An Infographic on Cancer Statistics
- Rohit Kumar Verma
- Jan 5, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 21, 2024
Overview
Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumors and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs; the latter process is referred to as metastasis. Widespread metastases are the primary cause of death from cancer.
The problem
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020 (1). The most common in 2020 (in terms of new cases of cancer) were:
breast (2.26 million cases);
lung (2.21 million cases);
colon and rectum (1.93 million cases);
prostate (1.41 million cases);
skin (non-melanoma) (1.20 million cases); and
stomach (1.09 million cases).
The most common causes of cancer death in 2020 were:
lung (1.80 million deaths);
colon and rectum (916 000 deaths);
liver (830 000 deaths);
stomach (769 000 deaths); and
breast (685,000 deaths).
Each year, approximately 400,000 children develop cancer. The most common cancers vary between countries. Cervical cancer is the most common in 23 countries.
Statistics at a Glance: The Burden of Cancer in the United States
In 2020, an estimated 1,806,590 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 606,520 people will die from the disease.
The most common cancers (listed in descending order according to estimated new cases in 2020) are breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, colon and rectum cancer, melanoma of the skin, bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, endometrial cancer, leukemia, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, and liver cancer.
Prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers account for an estimated 43% of all cancers diagnosed in men in 2020. For women, the three most common cancers are breast, lung, and colorectal, and they will account for an estimated 50% of all new cancer diagnoses in women in 2020.
The rate of new cases of cancer (cancer incidence) is 442.4 per 100,000 men and women per year (based on 2013–2017 cases).
The cancer death rate (cancer mortality) is 158.3 per 100,000 men and women per year (based on 2013–2017 deaths).
The cancer mortality rate is higher among men than women (189.5 per 100,000 men and 135.7 per 100,000 women). When comparing groups based on race/ethnicity and sex, cancer mortality is highest in African American men (227.3 per 100,000) and lowest in Asian/Pacific Islander women (85.6 per 100,000).
As of January 2019, there were an estimated 16.9 million cancer survivors in the United States. The number of cancer survivors is projected to increase to 22.2 million by 2030.
Approximately 39.5% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes (based on 2015–2017 data).
In 2020, an estimated 16,850 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,730 will die of the disease.
Estimated national expenditures for cancer care in the United States in 2018 were $150.8 billion. In future years, costs are likely to increase as the population ages and more people have cancer. Costs are also likely to increase as new, and often more expensive, treatments are adopted as standards of care.
Disclaimer: Graphicuss does not generate any data; instead, all the information presented is sourced from external references which are mentioned on the page.
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