Doctor consults with a cancer

patient and her father

Photo by Rhoda Baer

The American Cancer Society’s 2016 report on cancer in the US suggests that, in recent years, overall trends in cancer incidence have remained stable for women and declined for men.

However, the rates of certain malignancies are on the rise. This includes some leukemia subtypes for men and women, as well as myeloma for men.

Leukemia is the leading cause of cancer death for men ages 20 to 39, but leukemia is no longer the leading cause of cancer death among children and adolescents (of both genders).

These and other data are included in the report, which is published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

The report estimates there will be 1,685,210 new cancer cases and 595,690 cancer deaths in the US in 2016. This includes 81,080 new lymphoma cases and 21,270 lymphoma deaths, 60,140 new leukemia cases and 24,400 leukemia deaths, and 30,330 new myeloma cases and 12,650 myeloma deaths.

Cancer incidence over time

The report suggests the overall cancer incidence for women has been stable from 1998 to 2012. But the incidence for men has declined by 3.1% per year from 2009 to 2012, with one-half of the drop in men due to recent rapid declines in prostate cancer diagnoses as prostate-specific antigen testing decreases.

Incidence rates increased from 2003 to 2012 among both men and women for some leukemia subtypes and for cancers of the tongue, tonsil, small intestine, liver, pancreas, kidney, renal pelvis, and thyroid.

Incidence rates increased in men for melanoma, myeloma, and cancers of the breast, testis, and oropharynx. Among women, incidence rates increased for cancers of the anus, vulva, and uterine corpus.

Cancer deaths

The rate of cancer deaths in the US has dropped 23% from its peak in 1991 to 2012. The incidence of cancer death was 215.1 per 100,000 in 1991 and 166.4 per 100,000 in 2012.

The decline is larger in men (28% since 1990) than in women (19% since 1991). Over the past decade of data, the rate dropped by 1.8% per year in men and 1.4% per year in women.

The decline in cancer death rates over the past 2 decades is driven by continued decreases in death rates for the 4 major cancer sites: lung, breast, prostate, and colon/rectum.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 20 to 59, while lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women 60 and older.

Among men, leukemia is the leading cause of cancer death for those ages 20 to 39, whereas lung cancer ranks first among men 40 and older.

Among children and adolescents (0-19), brain cancer has surpassed leukemia as the leading cause of cancer death, a result of more rapid therapeutic advances against leukemia.

The report also features an analysis of leading causes of death by state. It shows that, even as cancer remains the second leading cause of death nationwide, steep drops in deaths from heart disease have made cancer the leading cause of death in 21 states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

In addition, cancer is the leading cause of death among adults ages 40 to 79 and among both Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders, who together make up one-quarter of the US population.

Heart disease remains the top cause of death overall in the US. In 2012, there were 599,711 (24%) deaths from heart disease, compared to 582,623 (23%) deaths from cancer.

“We’re gratified to see cancer death rates continuing to drop,” said Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

“But the fact that cancer is nonetheless becoming the top cause of death in many populations is a strong reminder that the fight is not over.”

US cancer stats: The good and the bad