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Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Cancer is a major public health concern that can affect anyone. However, in the United States, certain population groups suffer more from cancer and its effects. This is known as cancer disparitiesExternal Web Site Policy or cancer health disparities. Cancer disparities happen when there are higher rates of new cancer diagnoses and/or cancer deaths between population groups. These can include different racial/ethnic, sex, age, and socioeconomic groups.

Cancer Incidence and Death Rates by Race/Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity SEER 21 Incidence Rates U.S. Mortality RAtes
All Races 442.0 161.0
White 451.7 161.5
Black 442.9 185.6
Hispanic 345.8 113.5
Asian/Pacific Islander 297.9 100.0
American Indian/Alaska Native 307.6 146.7

Sex and Race/Ethnicity

How Many People Are Diagnosed with Cancer Each Year by Sex and Race/Ethnicity?

For all cancers combined, black men have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses, and Asian/Pacific Islander women have the lowest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The number of new cases for men was 481.0 per 100,000 men per year. The number of new cases for women was 417.1 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2012-2016 cases.

Male
All Races 481.0
White 486.0
Black 520.8
Hispanic 370.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 301.1
American Indian/Alaska Native 315.3
Female
All Races 417.1
White 430.9
Black 391.3
Hispanic 334.9
Asian/Pacific Islander 299.7
American Indian/Alaska Native 306.0

Source: SEER 21 2012-2016, Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000

How Many People Die of Cancer Each Year by Sex and Race/Ethnicity?

Among both men and women, blacks have the highest cancer death rates, and Asian/Pacific Islander have the lowest cancer death rates. The number of deaths for men was 193.1 per 100,000 men per year. The number of deaths for women was 137.7 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2012-2016 cases.

Male
All Races 193.1
White 193.0
Black 233.5
Hispanic 138.1
Asian/Pacific Islander 118.6
American Indian/Alaska Native 176.3
Female
All Races 137.7
White 138.3
Black 156.0
Hispanic 96.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 86.6
American Indian/Alaska Native 124.9

Source: U.S. Mortality 2012-2016, Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000

Cancer Sites by Sex and Race/Ethnicity

For all cancers and races/ethnicities combined, women are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than men, but men are more likely to die from the disease.

Estimated New Cancer Cases (2019):
All Races/Ethnicities
Females 891,480 (51%)
Males 870,970 (49%)
Estimated Cancer Deaths (2019):
All Races/Ethnicities
Females 285,210 (47%)
Males 321,670 (53%)

How Do Rates of New Cancer Cases Compare by Cancer Site, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity?

The rate of new cancer cases varies significantly by specific cancer site and by race/ethnicity.

Men
For all cancers combined, black men have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The most common cancers in men are prostate, lung and bronchus, and colorectal. The graphs below show the trends in the number of new cases by race/ethnicity for the three most common cancer sites in men between 2007-2016.

Prostate Cancer:
Number of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 164.6 163.2 259.1 262.8 93.6 92.1 93.3 87.9 133.8 140.7
2008 150.9 153.1 242.9 248.9 83.8 86.0 80.4 82.4 128.5 130.9
2009 145.1 143.6 240.9 235.8 81.6 80.3 75.3 77.3 124.9 121.8
2010 136.9 134.7 227.5 223.3 74.2 75.0 78.5 72.4 120.3 113.4
2011 135.6 126.3 226.0 211.5 76.9 70.0 63.3 67.9 112.0 105.5
2012 110.6 118.5 196.3 200.3 61.1 65.4 59.8 63.7 96.6 98.2
2013 104.8 111.2 185.8 189.8 58.8 61.1 56.8 59.7 87.1 91.3
2014 96.7 104.3 166.1 179.7 51.1 57.1 56.9 55.9 81.5 85.0
2015 99.2 97.8 167.4 170.2 55.2 53.3 49.9 52.4 77.9 79.1
2016 98.9 91.7 170.2 161.3 52.9 49.8 54.6 49.2 75.6 73.6
Male Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Number of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 78.1 78.8 91.1 93.8 52.9 53.8 55.9 54.6 44.3 43.7
2008 76.6 76.4 89.7 90.6 53.6 52.6 48.5 52.9 39.9 40.9
2009 75.2 74.1 91.9 87.5 51.1 51.5 49.6 51.1 38.7 38.3
2010 71.6 71.9 83.6 84.5 50.8 50.4 55.6 49.5 34.6 35.8
2011 69.4 69.7 81.7 81.7 48.3 49.3 44.6 47.9 36.3 35.2
2012 67.4 67.6 80.3 78.9 48.7 48.3 43.4 46.3 34.4 34.7
2013 65.2 65.5 74.2 76.2 49.0 47.3 50.7 44.8 35.3 34.2
2014 64.1 63.5 75.3 73.7 44.2 46.2 43.2 43.4 33.7 33.6
2015 62.4 61.6 70.7 71.2 47.0 45.3 44.1 41.9 32.2 33.1
2016 58.8 59.7 68.1 68.8 43.3 44.3 36.1 40.6 32.8 32.6
Male Colorectal Cancer:
Number of New Cases per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 54.3 54.6 64.8 65.5 45.7 45.4 39.5 38.8 46.4 47.4
2008 52.9 52.3 64.4 63.5 43.8 44.3 41.6 43.1 47.6 46.2
2009 49.9 50.1 62.8 61.5 43.2 43.2 49.1 47.9 46.3 45.0
2010 47.6 47.9 58.9 59.6 41.9 42.1 48.0 46.7 42.0 43.8
2011 46.0 45.9 57.6 57.8 42.4 41.1 47.6 45.5 44.1 42.7
2012 44.8 45.1 55.6 56.0 38.6 40.1 40.3 44.4 40.9 41.6
2013 43.8 44.3 54.4 54.3 39.1 39.1 40.8 43.2 39.3 40.6
2014 44.7 43.5 50.4 52.6 39.5 38.2 42.8 42.1 38.7 39.5
2015 43.0 42.7 52.3 51.0 36.2 37.3 41.1 41.0 39.2 38.5
2016 41.3 42.0 50.0 49.4 36.6 36.3 41.3 40.0 38.1 37.5

Women
For all cancers combined, white women have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses. The most common cancers in women are breast, lung and bronchus, and colorectal. The graphs below show the trends in the number of new cases by race/ethnicity for the three most common cancer sites in women between 2007-2016.

Female Breast Cancer:
Number of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 130.5 130.9 120.5 120.6 92.6 93.1 76.9 81.0 91.4 91.0
2008 131.7 130.8 121.0 121.1 94.8 94.1 77.2 80.8 93.0 91.7
2009 132.7 130.8 123.7 121.6 93.1 95.0 83.1 80.7 91.9 92.3
2010 127.3 130.7 117.4 122.0 96.2 96.0 81.5 80.5 87.8 92.9
2011 130.7 130.6 124.4 122.5 97.3 96.9 85.3 80.4 98.1 93.6
2012 130.0 130.5 122.6 122.9 97.6 97.9 84.6 80.2 93.8 94.2
2013 130.9 130.4 124.2 123.4 101.6 98.9 73.2 80.1 95.1 94.8
2014 131.1 130.3 124.4 123.9 99.2 99.9 84.6 80.0 95.0 95.5
2015 131.5 130.3 125.8 124.4 102.4 100.9 82.3 79.8 93.4 96.1
2016 128.9 130.2 123.0 124.8 99.6 101.9 73.6 79.7 99.0 96.8
Female Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Number of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 57.8 58.1 49.5 50.8 29.3 29.5 33.9 36.3 25.0 25.5
2008 57.6 57.1 49.0 49.9 28.1 29.3 43.1 36.0 24.8 25.2
2009 56.7 56.2 49.5 48.9 30.2 29.1 34.1 35.8 25.9 24.8
2010 54.5 55.3 50.1 48.0 27.9 28.9 33.9 35.5 24.6 24.5
2011 54.0 54.4 46.7 47.2 29.3 28.7 35.5 35.3 24.0 24.2
2012 53.2 53.5 47.2 46.3 29.3 28.5 34.5 35.1 23.2 23.9
2013 53.0 52.6 44.8 45.5 29.1 28.4 29.9 34.8 25.1 23.6
2014 51.7 51.8 45.6 44.6 28.1 28.2 30.9 34.6 22.3 23.2
2015 51.6 50.9 43.5 43.8 27.8 28.0 38.4 34.4 22.6 22.9
2016 49.6 50.1 42.1 43.0 27.2 27.8 35.8 34.1 22.9 22.6
Female Colorectal Cancer:
Number of New Cases per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 40.5 40.7 50.1 49.1 34.6 35.0 36.3 36.7 34.6 34.0
2008 39.6 39.3 46.9 47.5 34.6 33.7 38.8 36.8 31.9 32.8
2009 38.2 38.0 46.3 46.0 32.4 32.5 36.1 37.0 31.5 31.6
2010 36.4 36.7 44.7 44.6 31.8 31.4 34.5 37.2 30.8 30.5
2011 35.3 35.5 42.5 43.2 30.1 30.2 38.6 37.4 29.7 29.4
2012 34.4 34.3 41.2 41.8 28.7 29.2 36.6 37.5 28.5 28.4
2013 33.7 33.9 39.7 40.5 26.7 28.1 37.5 37.7 27.5 28.5
2014 33.8 33.6 40.3 39.2 27.4 27.1 40.5 37.9 29.5 28.7
2015 33.5 33.2 37.3 37.9 26.7 26.1 38.6 38.1 28.9 28.8
2016 32.6 32.9 37.3 36.7 25.4 25.2 36.6 38.2 28.8 29.0

How Do Cancer Death Rates Compare by Cancer Site, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity?

Cancer death rates vary significantly by specific cancer site and by race/ethnicity.

Men
Black men have the highest death rate for all cancer sites combined. The most common causes of cancer death in men are lung and bronchus, prostate, and colorectal cancer. The graphs below show the trends in the number of deaths by race/ethnicity for the three most common causes of cancer death in men between 2007-2016.

Male Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 64.8 65.1 82.2 81.4 36.1 36.7 51.7 53.5 32.0 32.9
2008 63.5 63.2 78.2 78.6 36.3 35.7 55.7 51.7 32.5 31.7
2009 61.4 61.4 75.5 75.9 34.9 34.7 45.1 49.9 30.2 30.6
2010 59.9 59.7 73.5 73.3 33.5 33.8 48.1 48.2 29.5 29.4
2011 57.8 58.0 70.0 70.8 32.9 32.9 47.4 46.5 29.0 28.4
2012 56.1 56.4 68.9 68.4 32.5 32.0 46.0 44.9 27.1 27.4
2013 53.9 54.0 66.0 66.0 30.7 31.1 43.4 43.4 26.5 26.4
2014 52.1 51.7 62.5 62.3 29.9 30.2 43.9 41.9 25.5 25.4
2015 49.9 49.6 59.0 58.8 29.9 29.4 41.4 40.4 24.9 24.5
2016 47.1 47.5 55.3 55.5 28.4 28.6 36.3 39.0 23.0 23.6
Prostate Cancer:
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 22.2 22.2 54.9 54.2 11.2 10.4 22.1 21.2 20.0 19.9
2008 21.3 21.4 49.1 51.4 9.9 10.1 22.8 21.0 19.1 19.2
2009 20.3 20.6 49.4 48.8 9.8 9.9 18.2 20.7 18.1 18.5
2010 20.1 19.9 48.1 46.4 9.5 9.6 19.6 20.5 18.3 17.9
2011 19.3 19.1 44.0 44.0 9.5 9.4 22.5 20.2 17.4 17.2
2012 18.1 18.5 41.6 41.8 8.4 9.1 18.0 20.0 16.5 16.6
2013 18.0 17.8 39.1 39.7 8.7 8.9 18.1 19.8 15.9 16.1
2014 17.9 17.9 38.0 37.7 8.4 8.7 19.8 19.5 15.5 15.5
2015 17.7 18.0 37.5 37.9 9.0 8.5 21.7 19.3 15.9 15.6
2016 18.2 18.0 38.4 38.2 8.5 8.3 18.3 19.1 15.6 15.8
Male Colorectal Cancer:
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Men by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 19.7 19.6 29.3 29.3 13.0 13.8 17.0 18.3 15.7 16.5
2008 19.0 19.1 28.7 28.5 14.0 13.5 21.4 18.5 16.4 16.2
2009 18.6 18.6 27.0 27.6 12.8 13.2 16.2 18.6 16.1 15.9
2010 18.1 18.1 27.5 26.9 13.1 12.8 19.2 18.7 15.7 15.5
2011 17.5 17.6 26.2 26.1 12.7 12.5 20.2 18.9 15.1 15.3
2012 17.1 17.1 25.4 25.3 12.7 12.2 15.4 19.0 14.9 15.0
2013 16.9 16.8 24.6 24.6 11.9 11.9 21.2 19.2 15.2 14.7
2014 16.4 16.5 23.1 23.9 11.9 11.6 19.4 19.3 14.3 14.4
2015 16.2 16.2 23.1 23.2 11.3 11.4 22.1 19.4 14.1 14.1
2016 15.9 15.9 23.0 22.5 10.6 11.1 17.3 19.6 13.6 13.9

Women
Black women have the highest death rate for all cancer sites combined, however, rates vary significantly by specific cancer site. The most common causes of cancer death in women are lung and bronchus, breast, and colorectal cancer. The graphs below show the trends in the number of deaths by race/ethnicity for the three most common causes of cancer death in women between 2007-2016.

Female Lung and Bronchus Cancer:
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 41.3 41.4 38.1 37.7 19.0 18.7 33.9 34.3 15.0 14.6
2008 40.4 40.6 36.9 37.1 18.1 18.5 35.8 33.5 14.3 14.3
2009 40.0 39.8 35.9 36.5 18.3 18.4 31.4 32.7 13.7 14.1
2010 39.2 39.0 36.3 35.9 18.1 18.3 30.9 32.0 13.7 13.9
2011 38.2 38.3 35.4 35.3 18.5 18.1 30.1 31.3 13.3 13.7
2012 37.6 37.5 34.7 34.7 17.8 18.0 31.5 30.6 13.6 13.4
2013 36.6 36.8 34.1 34.2 18.0 17.9 30.5 29.9 13.2 13.2
2014 36.0 36.1 32.8 32.6 17.7 17.7 28.9 29.2 13.4 13.0
2015 34.9 34.7 30.7 31.1 17.0 17.0 29.7 28.5 13.0 12.8
2016 33.2 33.3 29.8 29.6 16.3 16.3 26.9 27.9 12.2 12.6
Female Breast Cancer:
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 22.4 22.4 31.4 31.5 11.1 11.3 15.9 15.8 14.9 14.9
2008 22.0 22.0 31.0 31.0 11.5 11.3 15.0 15.5 14.6 14.8
2009 21.8 21.7 30.2 30.5 11.1 11.3 15.6 15.1 14.8 14.6
2010 21.3 21.3 30.2 30.0 11.7 11.3 14.0 14.7 14.3 14.5
2011 20.9 21.0 30.2 29.5 11.2 11.3 14.9 14.4 14.1 14.4
2012 20.7 20.6 29.4 29.1 11.3 11.3 14.8 14.0 14.7 14.3
2013 20.3 20.3 28.2 28.6 11.1 11.3 13.2 13.7 14.5 14.2
2014 20.0 20.1 28.0 28.2 11.6 11.3 13.0 13.4 14.6 14.1
2015 19.8 19.8 27.6 27.7 11.8 11.2 15.0 14.5 13.6 14.1
2016 19.6 19.6 27.3 27.3 10.6 11.2 15.5 15.7 13.9 14.0
Female Colorectal Cancer:
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Women by Race/Ethnicity
Year White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic
Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate Rate Modeled Rate
2007 13.9 13.9 19.9 19.6 10.0 10.0 14.0 16.6 10.6 10.4
2008 13.5 13.4 19.0 19.0 9.9 9.7 18.1 16.0 9.9 10.2
2009 12.8 13.0 18.5 18.4 8.8 9.5 16.5 15.5 10.1 9.9
2010 12.6 12.5 17.6 17.8 9.8 9.3 14.4 15.0 9.4 9.7
2011 12.3 12.3 17.7 17.3 9.3 9.1 14.0 14.5 9.5 9.5
2012 12.0 12.1 16.2 16.7 9.3 8.9 13.8 14.0 9.2 9.2
2013 11.9 11.9 15.7 16.2 8.2 8.7 15.2 13.5 9.1 9.0
2014 11.7 11.7 15.3 15.7 7.8 8.5 11.3 13.0 8.7 8.8
2015 11.6 11.5 15.5 15.2 8.7 8.3 12.7 12.6 8.6 8.6
2016 11.3 11.3 15.1 14.7 8.1 8.1 12.2 12.2 8.5 8.4

More About Cancer and Cancer Disparities

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about cancer:

Here are some resources for learning more about cancer disparities:

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:

Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, Miller D, Brest A, Yu M, Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z, Mariotto A, Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2016, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2016/, based on November 2018 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, April 2019.

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 Statistics Factsheets: Common Cancer Sites. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/disparities.html