The latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer was released on September 22, 2026. In addition to providing rates of new cases and deaths for the most common cancers in the United States, this year’s report also provides a special report on lung cancer.
Among the findings of the report:
- Overall cancer incidence increased slightly per year from 2018 to 2022, driven by an increase in the rates of new breast and prostate cancer cases.
- Despite increases in the rate of new prostate cancer cases, overall cancer incidence among men was stable. Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among men.
- Cancer death rates have continued to decline in both men and women for over 20 years.
- Among adolescents and young adults, the overall rate of new cancer cases remained stable from 2018 to 2022, and cancer death rates decreased slightly (about 1% on average) per year from 2004 to 2023. Female breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer among adolescents and young adults followed by thyroid cancer and testicular cancer.
- Among children ages 0-14 years, the overall rate of new cancer diagnoses has fallen since 2015, and the overall cancer death rate decreased by about 1% per year from 2004 to 2023. Leukemia, brain and other nervous system tumors, and lymphoma remain the most common cancers in children.