Expand All Collapse All

Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Based on estimates of new cancer cases in 2023, 4.4% of all new cases will occur among ages 15 to 39. 85.8% of AYAs diagnosed with cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years after diagnosis.


4.4%

Cancers diagnosed among AYAs, ages 15–39, 4.4%.

5-Year
Relative Survival

85.8% SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA), 2013–2019

New Cancer Cases, 2023

Estimated New Cancers Among AYAs in the U.S. in 2023 85,980

% of All New Cancer Cases at Any Age 4.4%

Common Types of New Cancers Among AYAs

Breast Cancer 11.468944407 (15%)
Thyroid Cancer 11.345635255 (15%)
Testicular Cancer 5.872262478 (8%)
Melanoma of the Skin 5.627939078 (7%)
Other 41.033585607 (54%)

Distribution based on age-adjusted rates of new cases.
SEER 22, 2016–2020.

Cancer Deaths, 2023

Estimated Cancer Deaths Among AYAs the U.S. in 2023 9,050

% of All Cancer Deaths at Any Age 1.5%

Common Cancer Types Causing Death Among AYAs

Breast Cancer 1.112166089 (13%)
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) Cancer 0.957503177 (11%)
Colorectal Cancer 0.886373267 (10%)
Leukemia 0.861844381 (10%)
Other 4.884046458 (56%)

Distribution based on age-adjusted death rates.
U.S. Mortality, 2016–2020.

In 2023, it is estimated that there will be 85,980 new cases of cancer among AYAs and 9,050 deaths due to cancer among AYAs.

Trends in Age-adjusted Incidence and Mortality Rates
Year Rate of New Cases — SEER 8 Rate of New Cases — SEER 12 Death Rate — U.S. 5-Year Relative Survival — SEER 8
Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend
1975 58.15 58.37 - - 16.45 16.08 70.37% 71.28%
1976 57.76 58.49 - - 16.12 15.90 72.49% 71.71%
1977 59.75 58.61 - - 15.88 15.72 72.87% 72.14%
1978 58.83 58.73 - - 15.25 15.55 72.20% 72.57%
1979 58.96 58.85 - - 15.08 15.37 72.13% 72.99%
1980 58.74 58.97 - - 15.33 15.20 73.95% 73.40%
1981 59.47 60.37 - - 14.68 15.03 74.09% 73.81%
1982 61.46 61.82 - - 14.85 14.86 74.03% 73.15%
1983 62.59 63.29 - - 14.49 14.69 72.69% 72.47%
1984 65.23 64.80 - - 14.64 14.53 70.30% 71.77%
1985 66.97 66.35 - - 14.52 14.37 70.41% 71.06%
1986 68.72 67.93 - - 14.42 14.21 70.87% 70.34%
1987 70.75 69.56 - - 13.91 14.05 69.18% 69.61%
1988 71.20 71.22 - - 13.73 13.89 67.80% 68.86%
1989 72.93 72.92 - - 13.55 13.73 68.19% 68.09%
1990 73.80 74.66 - - 13.59 13.58 67.80% 67.32%
1991 72.26 73.42 - - 13.52 13.43 68.53% 66.52%
1992 73.52 72.20 71.42 70.09 13.38 13.28 68.97% 68.80%
1993 69.41 71.00 66.74 68.85 12.81 12.99 71.04% 70.96%
1994 69.86 69.83 67.48 67.64 12.76 12.72 72.11% 73.00%
1995 69.88 68.67 67.74 66.44 12.53 12.44 73.45% 74.92%
1996 67.52 67.53 65.33 65.27 12.29 12.18 77.56% 76.73%
1997 66.30 66.41 63.09 64.12 12.03 11.92 79.57% 78.43%
1998 64.96 65.31 62.38 62.99 11.80 11.66 80.38% 80.02%
1999 65.90 66.26 63.33 63.65 11.30 11.42 81.23% 81.51%
2000 67.77 67.23 64.13 64.32 11.06 11.17 81.02% 82.01%
2001 68.03 68.21 65.00 65.00 11.11 10.93 81.79% 82.51%
2002 69.24 69.21 65.53 65.69 10.79 10.70 82.95% 82.99%
2003 71.09 70.22 66.19 66.38 10.46 10.47 83.70% 83.47%
2004 71.63 71.24 67.61 67.08 10.06 10.25 84.44% 83.93%
2005 72.16 72.28 68.79 67.78 9.90 10.03 85.26% 84.37%
2006 70.89 73.33 67.88 68.50 9.88 9.82 84.77% 84.81%
2007 74.38 74.40 69.87 69.22 9.49 9.61 85.43% 85.24%
2008 76.96 75.49 73.05 69.95 9.49 9.52 86.76% 85.65%
2009 76.35 75.75 71.83 70.68 9.66 9.43 86.11% 86.06%
2010 74.49 76.01 70.34 71.43 9.33 9.34 86.55% 86.45%
2011 75.56 76.28 71.11 72.18 9.22 9.26 86.75% 86.83%
2012 76.55 76.54 73.20 72.94 9.09 9.17 87.28% 87.21%
2013 75.30 76.81 71.99 73.71 9.01 9.09 87.51% 87.57%
2014 78.40 77.07 74.58 74.48 9.05 9.01 87.44% 87.92%
2015 78.99 77.34 75.50 75.27 8.90 8.92 87.90% 88.27%
2016 80.45 77.61 76.32 76.06 9.03 8.84 - 88.60%
2017 77.65 77.88 74.44 75.23 8.76 8.76 - 88.93%
2018 75.89 78.15 73.58 74.42 8.79 8.68 - 89.25%
2019 77.87 78.42 74.42 73.61 8.59 8.60 - 89.56%
2020 71.28 - 68.62 - 8.35 8.52 - 89.86%

Modeled trend lines were calculated from the underlying rates using the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software.
The 2020 incidence rate is displayed but not used in the fit of the trend line(s). Impact of COVID on SEER Cancer Incidence 2020 data

Using statistical models for analysis, rates of new cancer cases of any site among AYAs have been rising on average 0.3% each year over 2010–2019, the last 10 years of available data. Death rates have been falling on average 0.9% each year over 2011–2020.

Survival Statistics

How Many AYAs Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Cancer?

Relative survival is an estimate of the percentage of patients who would be expected to survive the effects of their cancer. It excludes the risk of dying from other causes. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

85.5%

5-Year
Relative Survival

85.8%

Based on data from SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA) 2013–2019. Gray figures represent AYAs who have died from cancer within 5 years of diagnosis. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

5-year Relative Survival by Sex and Race

5-Year Relative Survival

Total 85.8
Males 82.6
Females 87.8
Hispanic 82.5
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 83.0
NH Asian or Pacific Islander 84.7
NH Black 76.2
NH White 89.1

SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA) 2013–2019, Ages 15–39
a Non-Hispanic, b Asian/Pacific Islander, c American Indian / Alaska Native

How Does Cancer Survival Among AYAs Compare to Cancer Survival at Other Ages?

5-Year Relative Survival

0–14 85.135408022
15–39 85.770370084
40–64 74.065980997
65+ 61.457884856

SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA) 2013–2019

Additional Information

New Cases and Deaths

New Cancers Among AYAs

The most common cancer type among AYAs is female breast cancer, with an age-adjusted rate of 23.0 new cases per 100,000 female AYAs, followed by testicular cancer (11.6 per 100,000 male AYAs) and thyroid cancer (11.3 per 100,000 AYAs). The 10 most common cancers among AYAs represent about 75% of new cancers among AYAs.

Rates of New Cases by Cancer Type and Sex
Male
Breast Cancer 0.088238806
Thyroid Cancer 4.350144411
Testicular Cancer 11.570091998
Melanoma of the Skin 3.934765517
Colorectal Cancer 5.094974714
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 4.595014025
Leukemia 4.096056334
Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.454503642
Cervical Cancer 0
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) Cancer 3.207512868
Female
Breast Cancer 23.017783194
Thyroid Cancer 18.520784426
Testicular Cancer 0
Melanoma of the Skin 7.364081392
Colorectal Cancer 5.18732635
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.380969419
Leukemia 2.969090507
Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.402301605
Cervical Cancer 6.445911186
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) Cancer 2.403265487

Age-adjusted rates of new cases per 100,000. SEER 22, 2016–2020.

Cancer Deaths Among AYAs

Female breast cancer is the deadliest cancer among AYAs with an age-adjusted death rate of 2.2 per 100,000 female AYAs, followed by brain and other nervous system (ONS) cancer (1.0 per 100,000 AYAs) and cervical cancer (0.9 per 100,000 female AYAs). The 10 deadliest cancers among AYAs represent about 70% of cancer deaths among AYAs.

Death Rates by Cancer Type and Sex
Male
Breast Cancer 0.007496047
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) Cancer 1.15408413
Colorectal Cancer 0.987941132
Leukemia 1.012791882
Cervical Cancer 0
Soft Tissue Cancer 0.468309071
Lung and Bronchus Cancer 0.378421919
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 0.44513886
Bone and Joint Cancer 0.390302524
Stomach Cancer 0.329790352
Female
Breast Cancer 2.22725566
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) Cancer 0.757154869
Colorectal Cancer 0.783590117
Leukemia 0.70587153
Cervical Cancer 0.923332426
Soft Tissue Cancer 0.366619485
Lung and Bronchus Cancer 0.329933555
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 0.237517685
Bone and Joint Cancer 0.254391893
Stomach Cancer 0.289584127

Age-adjusted death rates per 100,000. U.S., 2016–2020.

How Do Cancer Types Among AYAs Compare?

For comparison purposes, new cancer cases (incidence) and cancer deaths (mortality) are generally expressed as rates - that is, the number of new cases (or deaths) per 100,000 persons in the total population. Note that the total population varies depending on which group you are looking at, so, for example, the cancer incidence rate for females is the rate of new cancer cases per 100,000 females in the total population.

The table below gives the rate of new cases and deaths over the most recent five years of data and the five-year relative survival rate, representing the percent surviving their cancer for 5 years after diagnosis.

You can sort on any column by clicking the header to rank the case counts, deaths, incidence and mortality rates, relative survival in ascending or descending order.

Site Rate of New Cases (2016–2020) Death Rate (2016–2020) 5-Year Relative Survival (%) (2013–2019)
Bladder 0.6 0.0 89.9
Bone and Joint 0.9 0.3 72.7
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) 2.8 1.0 72.8
Breast 11.5 1.1 86.3
Cervix 6.4 0.9 79.9
Colon and Rectum 5.1 0.9 73.8
Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.4 0.1 96.6
Kidney and Renal Pelvis 2.4 0.2 89.1
Leukemia 3.5 0.9 73.4
Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 0.5 0.2 37.0
Lung and Bronchus 0.9 0.4 51.6
Melanoma of the Skin 5.6 0.3 96.3
Myeloma 0.3 0.0 83.0
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 4.0 0.3 86.0
Oral Cavity and Pharynx 1.4 0.1 82.6
Ovary 3.0 0.4 82.1
Pancreas 0.6 0.2 58.2
Small Intestine 0.3 0.0 80.1
Soft Tissue 1.6 0.4 71.7
Stomach 0.9 0.3 38.4
Testis 11.6 0.4 95.5
Thyroid 11.3 0.0 99.8
Uterus 4.2 0.2 91.0
Rates of new cases are from SEER 22. Death rates are from the total U.S. Survival is from SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA).
Site Rate of New Cases (2016–2020) Death Rate (2016–2020) 5-Year Relative Survival (%) (2013–2019)
Bladder 0.4 0.0 84.7
Bone and Joint 0.8 0.3 77.0
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) 2.4 0.8 76.9
Breast 23.0 2.2 86.4
Cervix 6.4 0.9 79.9
Colon and Rectum 5.2 0.8 76.7
Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.4 0.1 97.4
Kidney and Renal Pelvis 2.0 0.1 91.1
Leukemia 3.0 0.7 74.2
Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 0.4 0.2 43.8
Lung and Bronchus 1.0 0.3 56.8
Melanoma of the Skin 7.4 0.2 97.9
Myeloma 0.3 0.0 85.8
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.4 0.2 89.3
Oral Cavity and Pharynx 1.3 0.1 88.0
Ovary 3.0 0.4 82.1
Pancreas 0.7 0.2 68.0
Small Intestine 0.4 0.0 84.1
Soft Tissue 1.5 0.4 75.0
Stomach 0.9 0.3 44.3
Testis - - -
Thyroid 18.5 0.0 99.8
Uterus 4.2 0.2 91.0
Rates of new cases are from SEER 22. Death rates are from the total U.S. Survival is from SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA).
Site Rate of New Cases (2016–2020) Death Rate (2016–2020) 5-Year Relative Survival (%) (2013–2019)
Bladder 0.8 0.0 92.2
Bone and Joint 1.0 0.4 69.5
Brain and Other Nervous System (ONS) 3.2 1.2 69.7
Breast 0.1 0.0 81.6
Cervix - - -
Colon and Rectum 5.1 1.0 70.9
Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.5 0.1 95.8
Kidney and Renal Pelvis 2.8 0.2 87.7
Leukemia 4.1 1.0 72.9
Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct 0.6 0.3 32.4
Lung and Bronchus 0.9 0.4 46.0
Melanoma of the Skin 3.9 0.3 93.7
Myeloma 0.4 0.0 80.6
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 4.6 0.4 83.7
Oral Cavity and Pharynx 1.5 0.2 78.4
Ovary - - -
Pancreas 0.6 0.3 46.3
Small Intestine 0.3 0.0 75.9
Soft Tissue 1.7 0.5 69.0
Stomach 0.9 0.3 32.2
Testis 11.6 0.4 95.5
Thyroid 4.4 0.0 99.4
Uterus - - -
Rates of new cases are from SEER 22. Death rates are from the total U.S. Survival is from SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA).

Who Gets This Cancer?

The age-adjusted incidence rate among AYAs was 75.3 per 100,000 AYAs per year based on 2016–2020 cases.

Rates of New Cancers Among AYAs per 100,000 AYAs by Race/Ethnicity & Sex (ages 15–39)
Males
All Races 57.0
Hispanic 50.5
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 60.1
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 41.6
NH Black 44.3
NH White 65.2
Females
All Races 94.0
Hispanic 83.8
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 109.7
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 76.9
NH Black 80.5
NH White 104.2

SEER 22 2016–2020, Age-Adjusted

Who Dies From This Cancer?

The death rate was 8.7 per 100,000 AYAs per year based on 2016–2020 deaths.

Death Rates Among AYAs per 100,000 AYAs by Race/Ethnicity & Sex (Ages 15–39)
Males
All Races 8.1
Hispanic 7.6
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 9.7
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 6.4
NH Black 9.5
NH White 8.1
Females
All Races 9.3
Hispanic 8.8
NH American Indian/Alaska Native 10.2
NH Asian/Pacific Islander 6.7
NH Black 12.4
NH White 9.1

U.S. 2016–2020, Age-Adjusted

Trends in Rates

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

New Cases, Deaths and 5-Year Relative Survival

Interactive Statistics with SEER*Explorer

With SEER*Explorer, you can...
  • Create custom graphs and tables
  • Download data and images
  • Share links to results

SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

Explore Additional Cancer Statistics Among AYAs

More About Cancer

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about cancer.

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer Among Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs). National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/aya.html

These stat facts focus on population statistics that are based on the U.S. population. Because these statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. To see tailored statistics, browse SEER*Explorer. To see statistics for a specific state, go to the State Cancer Profiles.

The statistics presented in these stat facts are based on the most recent data available, most of which can be found in SEER*Explorer. In some cases, different year spans may be used.

Estimates of new cases and deaths for 2023 are projections made by the American Cancer Society (ACS), based on earlier reported data.

Cancer is a complex topic. There is a wide range of information available. These stat facts do not address causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, or decision making, although links are provided to information in many of these areas.