Cancer has a major impact on society in the United States and across the world. Cancer statistics describe what happens in large groups of people and provide a picture in time of the burden of cancer on society.
Statistics tell us things such as how many people are diagnosed with and die from cancer each year, the number of people who are currently living after a cancer diagnosis, the average age at diagnosis, and the numbers of people who are still alive at a given time after diagnosis. Cancer statistics also help us see trends. By looking at cancer rates over time, we can track changes in the risk of developing and dying from specific cancers as well as cancer overall. For information about chances of surviving cancer and prognosis , see Understanding Cancer Prognosis.
NCI also has a collection of statistical summaries for a number of common cancer types. Although statistical trends are usually not directly applicable to individual patients, they are essential for governments, policy makers, health professionals, and researchers to understand the impact of cancer on the population and to develop strategies to address the challenges that cancer poses to the society at large.
Statistical trends are also important for measuring the success of efforts to control and manage cancer. The best indicator of progress against cancer is a change in age-adjusted mortality death rates, although other measures, such as quality of life, are also important.
Incidence is also important, but it is not always straightforward to interpret changes in incidence. A rise in incidence can reflect a real increase in disease occurrence, such as when an increase in exposure to a risk factor causes more cases of cancer.
