Incidence

Data Up to Date as of:

November 2020

Introduction

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 2020, 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 1,806,590 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2020, including 191,930 cases of prostate cancer, 279,100 cases of breast cancer, 228,820 cases of lung and bronchus cancer, and 147,950 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.

Healthy People 2020 Target

Reduce new cases of invasive colorectal cancer to 39.9 per 100,000 people.
Reduce new cases of invasive uterine cervical cancer to 7.2 per 100,000 females.

Note: There is strong evidence that screening can prevent colorectal and uterine cervical cancers.

Healthy People 2020 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Note: Goals are indicated as blue line on Detailed Trend Graphs.

Data Source

SEER Program, National Cancer Institute, 1975–2017.

Trends and Most Recent Estimates

All Cancer Sites Combined

By Sex

Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Both Sexes	444.8	442.5 - 447.1
	Male	482.1	478.7 - 485.6
	Female	420.0	416.9 - 423.0

By Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	425.8	423.9 - 427.7
	White	439.3	437.0 - 441.5
	Black	450.0	443.8 - 456.4
	Hispanic	341.5	337.1 - 346.0
	Asian/Pacific Islander	317.8	313.6 - 322.2
	American Indian/Alaska Native	405.0	383.5 - 427.3

Top 4 Cancer Sites

Comparison of Top Cancer Sites

Rates of new cases of the most common cancers, delay-adjusted cancer incidence, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Colon and Rectum	36.8	36.2 - 37.5
	Lung and Bronchus	50.6	49.8 - 51.3
	Female Breast	133.1	131.3 - 134.8
	Prostate	119.0	117.3 - 120.7

Colon and Rectum Cancer by Sex

Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Both Sexes	36.8	36.2 - 37.5
	Male	41.3	40.3 - 42.3
	Female	32.9	32.1 - 33.8

Colon and Rectum Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	36.3	35.7 - 36.8
	White	35.9	35.3 - 36.5
	Black	42.9	41.0 - 44.9
	Hispanic	34.7	33.3 - 36.1
	Asian/Pacific Islander	32.0	30.7 - 33.4
	American Indian/Alaska Native	55.6	47.9 - 64.3

Lung and Bronchus Cancer by Sex

Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Both Sexes	50.6	49.8 - 51.3
	Male	56.7	55.5 - 57.9
	Female	46.0	45.1 - 47.0

Lung and Bronchus Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	46.7	46.1 - 47.3
	White	47.3	46.6 - 48.1
	Black	56.7	54.5 - 59.0
	Hispanic	26.4	25.1 - 27.8
	Asian/Pacific Islander	36.7	35.2 - 38.2
	American Indian/Alaska Native	48.2	40.7 - 56.5

Female Breast Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of female breast cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	129.4	128.0 - 130.8
	White	132.9	131.2 - 134.6
	Black	124.5	120.2 - 128.9
	Hispanic	100.1	97.0 - 103.2
	Asian/Pacific Islander	114.2	110.8 - 117.8
	American Indian/Alaska Native	111.2	96.5 - 127.4

Prostate Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of prostate cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	112.0	110.7 - 113.4
	White	108.4	106.8 - 109.9
	Black	180.3	174.2 - 186.5
	Hispanic	82.6	79.2 - 86.1
	Asian/Pacific Islander	66.4	63.4 - 69.4
	American Indian/Alaska Native	65.1	51.8 - 80.4

Additional Cancer Site with a Healthy People 2020 Target

Rates of new cases of invasive uterine cervical cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	6.7	6.3 - 7.0
	White	6.8	6.4 - 7.2
	Black	6.8	5.8 - 7.9
	Hispanic	8.3	7.4 - 9.2
	Asian/Pacific Islander	6.0	5.2 - 6.9
	American Indian/Alaska Native	11.1	6.9 - 16.8

Selected Cancer Sites with Increasing Trends

Rates of selected cancer sites that are increasing annually^, delay-adjusted cancer incidence, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Oral Cavity and Pharynx	11.9	11.5 - 12.3
	Melanoma of the Skin	25.9	25.3 - 26.4
	Testis	6.4	6.0 - 6.8
	Myeloma	7.3	7.0 - 7.6
	Leukemia	15.2	14.8 - 15.7
	Esophageal adenocarcinoma	2.8	2.6 - 3.0

Selected Cancer Sites with Decreasing Trends

Decreasing Greater than 2% Annually

Rates of selected cancer sites that are decreasing by 2% or greater per year^, delay-adjusted incidence, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Larynx	2.6	2.4 - 2.8
	Ovary	10.5	10.0 - 11.0
	Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma	1.3	1.2 - 1.4

Decreasing Less than 2% Annually

Rates of selected cancer sites that are decreasing by less than 2% per year^, delay-adjusted incidence, 1975-2017
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Stomach	6.7	6.4 - 6.9
	Urinary Bladder	19.4	18.9 - 19.9
	Brain and Other Nervous System	6.4	6.2 - 6.7
	Hodgkin Lymphoma	2.3	2.2 - 2.5
	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	19.7	19.3 - 20.2

Additional Information on Incidence

For the public

Cancer Incidence Rates. National Cancer Institute.
Common Cancer Types. National Cancer Institute.
Learn About Cancer. American Cancer Society.

For health professionals

Resources for Health Professionals. National Cancer Institute.
Cancer Facts and Figures. American Cancer Society.

Scientific reports

Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
Lung cancer incidence trends among men and women – United States, 2005–2009. Henley SJ, Richareds TB, Underwood JM, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63(01):1–5.
Invasive Cancer Incidence and Survival—United States, 2013. Henley SJ, Singh SD, King JK et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017:66(3):69-75.
Cancer Statistics, 2018. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal, A. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2018;61(01):7-30.

Statistics

SEER Cancer Statistics Review, National Cancer Institute.
State Cancer Profiles. National Cancer Institute, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
United States Cancer Statistics: Data Visualizations. National Cancer Institute, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
United States Cancer Statistics – Interpreting Incidence Data. National Cancer Institute, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SEER*Explorer: An interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. National Cancer Institute.
WONDER Online Databases – United States Cancer Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Year Range

1975-2017

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2013-2017

Summary Tables

Diagnosis

Recent Summary Trend

Falling

Desired Direction