Incidence

Incidence

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In 2019, the rate of new cases of all cancers combined was 451.2 per 100,000 people per year.

Summary graph for Incidence, Click to see detailed view of graph

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Summary graph for Incidence, Click to see detailed view of graph

Background

Cancer incidence is typically measured as the number of new cases each year for every 100,000 people (for sex-specific cancers, people of the same sex serve as the denominator) and age-adjusted to a standard population to allow comparisons over time.

In 2022, nearly half of all new cancer cases are expected to be cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, and colon and rectum. According to American Cancer Society projections, about 1,918,030 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2022, including 268,490 cases of prostate cancer, 290,560 cases of breast cancer, 236,740 cases of lung and bronchus cancer, and 151,030 cases of colorectal cancer.

Measure

Incidence rate: the observed number of new cancer cases per 100,000 people per year, adjusted for age and cancer case reporting delays and based on data from approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population.

Delay adjustment: a method of estimating delayed reporting of incident cases and then adjusting rates to account for this delay.

Data Source

SEER Program, National Cancer Institute, 1975–2019.

Healthy People 2030 Target

There are no Healthy People 2030 targets for cancer incidence.

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trends and Most Recent EstimatesHelp with navigating the graphs and data tables

All Cancer Sites Combined

By Sex
Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 451.2 448.7 - 453.6
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 484.8 481.1 - 488.4
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 429.8 426.6 - 433.1
By Race/Ethnicity
Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 456.1 455.1 - 457.1
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 466.7 465.5 - 467.8
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 462.0 458.9 - 465.1
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 367.6 365.3 - 369.9
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 323.2 320.3 - 326.1
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native 468.3 449.1 - 488.1

Top 4 Cancer Sites

Comparison of Top Cancer Sites
Rates of new cases of the most common cancers, delay-adjusted cancer incidence, 1975-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of the most common cancers, delay-adjusted cancer incidence, 1975-2019 Colon and RectumClick to see the detailed trend graph for Colon and Rectum 34.6 34.0 - 35.3
Lung and BronchusClick to see the detailed trend graph for Lung and Bronchus 45.9 45.2 - 46.7
Female BreastClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female Breast 137.3 135.5 - 139.2
ProstateClick to see the detailed trend graph for Prostate 122.6 120.8 - 124.4
Colon and Rectum Cancer by Sex
Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 34.6 34.0 - 35.3
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 39.9 38.9 - 41.0
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 30.0 29.1 - 30.8
Colon and Rectum Cancer by Race/Ethnicity
Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 37.4 37.2 - 37.7
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 37.2 36.9 - 37.6
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 42.8 41.8 - 43.7
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 34.1 33.4 - 34.8
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 30.8 29.9 - 31.7
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native 49.3 43.2 - 55.9
Lung and Bronchus Cancer by Sex
Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 45.9 45.2 - 46.7
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 49.3 48.1 - 50.4
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 43.6 42.6 - 44.6
Lung and Bronchus Cancer by Race/Ethnicity
Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 50.2 49.9 - 50.5
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 51.6 51.2 - 51.9
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 52.4 51.4 - 53.5
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 26.8 26.1 - 27.4
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 35.6 34.7 - 36.6
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native 49.7 43.6 - 56.4
Female Breast Cancer by Race/Ethnicity
Rates of new cases of female breast cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of female breast cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 133.9 133.1 - 134.7
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 135.7 134.8 - 136.6
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 133.6 131.4 - 135.8
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 106.8 105.2 - 108.4
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 115.2 112.9 - 117.6
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native 138.5 124.7 - 153.4
Prostate Cancer by Race/Ethnicity
Rates of new cases of prostate cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Rate per 100,000 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Rates of new cases of prostate cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 123.1 122.3 - 123.9
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 117.4 116.6 - 118.3
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 197.0 193.9 - 200.2
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 94.2 92.4 - 96.0
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 67.3 65.3 - 69.3
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native 88.3 75.8 - 102.0

Recent Trends for Common Cancer Sites

2015-2019 trends (Average Annual Percent Change) in delay-adjusted cancer incidence rates for common cancer sites
Overview graph Cancer Site Average Annual Percent Change
Thumbnail of graph for 2015-2019 trends (Average Annual Percent Change) in SEER incidence rates for common cancer sites All Sites 0.0
Brain and ONS -0.4*
Cervix Uteri 0.4
Colon and Rectum -1.0*
Corpus Uteri and NOS 1.3*
Esophageal Adenocarcinoma 0.7*
Esophageal Squamous Cell -1.9*
Female Breast 0.5*
Hodgkin Lymphoma -1.0*
Kidney and Renal Pelvis 1.2*
Larynx -2.7*
Leukemia -0.4
Liver and IBD 0.2
Lung and Bronchus -1.9*
Melanoma of the Skin 1.1*
Myeloma 1.1*
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma -0.4*
Oral Cavity and Pharynx 0.7*
Ovary -2.7*
Pancreas 1.1*
Prostate 3.7*
Stomach -0.7*
Testis 0.8*
Thyroid -2.1*
Urinary Bladder -1.1*
* The Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC) is statistically significant.

Additional Information on Incidence

Year Range

1975-2019

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2015-2019

Recent Summary Trend

Stable

Desired Direction

Falling

Summary Tables

Diagnosis