Incidence, Prevalence, and Mortality: The Human Burden of Cancer

Many people find basic statistics information by cancer site (breast, colon, lung, etc.) in NCI's Cancer Stat Fact Sheets and additional information by cancer site in the popular 2-page Cancer Snapshots. 

Definitions

• Incidence: The number of newly diagnosed cancer cases during a specific time period.

• Incidence rate: The number of newly diagnosed cancers during a specific time period per 100,000 population at risk. That is,

Incidence Rate = (New Cancers / Population) × 100,000

• Lifetime risk: The probability of developing or dying from cancer in the course of one's lifespan.

• Mortality: The number of cancer deaths during a specific time period.

• Prevalence:  The number of people with cancer alive on a certain date in a population who previously had a diagnosis of the disease.

• Person-years of life lost to cancer: The years of life lost due to early death from a particular cause or disease.

• Survival:  The proportion of patients alive at some point after the diagnosis of their cancer.

Data Sources

NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program:  Cancer incidence and survival data from population-based cancer registries. The most recent available data are from 2007 because the reporting and collection process takes several years. Read more about the cancer statistics reporting delay.

SEER Resources:

Cancer Stat Fact Sheets
Online fact sheets with key statistics for each cancer type, including incidence, mortality, survival, stage, prevalence, and lifetime risk.

Estimated New Cancer Cases and Deaths for 2010 [PDF, 15.4KB]
A 1-page PDF table listing estimated incidence and mortality rates for each cancer type. Estimates are based on trends extrapolated from previous years’ data.

Trends in New Cancer Cases and Deaths [PDF, 88.2KB]
A 6-page PDF with charts listing changes in cancer incidence and mortality between 1998 and 2007.

Other Reports:

United States Cancer Statistics: 1999-2007 Incidence and Mortality
This Web-based report includes the official federal statistics on cancer incidence and mortality from 1999 to 2007. It is produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures, 2010: The American Cancer Society’s annual summary of current data and scientific information about cancer.