Common Cancer Types
This list of common cancer types includes cancers that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers:
Cancer incidence and mortality statistics reported by the National Cancer Institute1 and other resources were used to create the list. To qualify as a common cancer for the list, the estimated annual incidence for 2021 had to be 40,000 cases or more.
The most common type of cancer on the list is breast cancer, with 284,200 new cases expected in the United States in 2021. The next most common cancers are prostate cancer and lung cancer.
Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as "colorectal cancers," these two cancer types are combined for the list. For 2021, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer and rectal cancer are 104,270 and 45,230, respectively, adding to a total of 149,500 new cases of colorectal cancer.
The following table gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancer type in 2021:
| Cancer Type | Estimated New Cases | Estimated Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Bladder | 83,730 | 17,200 |
| Breast (Female – Male) | 281,550 – 2,650 | 43,600 – 530 |
| Colon and Rectal (Combined) | 149,500 | 52,980 |
| Endometrial | 66,570 | 12,940 |
| Kidney (Renal Cell and Renal Pelvis) | 76,080 | 13,780 |
| Leukemia (All Types) | 61,090 | 23,660 |
| Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct | 42,230 | 30,230 |
| Lung (Including Bronchus) | 235,760 | 131,880 |
| Melanoma | 106,110 | 7,180 |
| Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | 81,560 | 20,720 |
| Pancreatic | 60,430 | 48,220 |
| Prostate | 248,530 | 34,130 |
| Thyroid | 44,280 | 2,200 |
References
- Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, et al. (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2018. National Cancer Institute, posted to the SEER website, April 2021. Last accessed April 19, 2021.