Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population-based cancer occurrence and outcomes using data collected by central cancer registries (incidence, through 2022) and the National Center for Health Statistics (mortality, through 2023). In 2026, approximately 2,114,850 new cancer cases and 626,140 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. The cancer mortality rate continued to decline through 2023, averting 4.8 million deaths since 1991, largely because of smoking reductions, earlier detection, and improved treatment. These interventions are also evident in rising 5-year relative survival, which reached a milestone 70% for diagnoses during 2015-2021 overall, 69% for regional-stage disease, and 35% for distant-stage (metastatic) disease, up from 63%, 54%, and 17%, respectively, in the mid-1990s. People with high-mortality cancers and advanced diagnoses had the largest gains, including increases from 32% to 62% for myeloma, 7% to 22% for liver cancer, 16% to 35% for metastatic melanoma, 8% to 18% for metastatic rectal cancer, 20% to 37% for regional lung cancer, and 2% to 10% for metastatic lung cancer. Nevertheless, lung cancer will cause more deaths in 2026 than second-ranking colorectal cancer and third-ranking pancreatic cancer combined. In summary, decades of scientific investment have translated to longer lives for people with even the most fatal cancers. However, continued progress is threatened by proposed federal cuts to cancer research and health insurance, which provides access to life-saving cancer treatment.
This article provides updated global cancer statistics for the year 2024 based on the GLOBOCAN estimates of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The authors describe national cancer incidence and mortality by world region and the Human Development Index and predict the burden in 2050 based on demographic trends. In 2024, an estimated 20.6 million new cancer cases (19.5 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 9.8 million deaths (9.7 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) occurred worldwide, equivalent to one in five people developing cancer during their lifetime and one in nine men and one in 13 women dying from the disease. Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, responsible for almost 2.6 million new cases (12.8%), followed by female breast (11.8%), colorectal (9.9%), prostate (7.5%), and stomach (4.7%) cancer. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death, with an estimated 1.9 million deaths (19.1%), followed by colorectal (9.4%), liver (7.5%), female breast (7.1%), and stomach (6.6%) cancer. Incidence rates vary four- to five-fold across regions, with the highest rates found in Australia/New Zealand (men, 477 per 100,000; women, 396 per 100,000), whereas mortality rates differ two-fold, with elevated rates in Eastern Europe for men (158 per 100,000) and Melanesia for women (108 per 100,000). The incidence burden is predicted to reach 34.4 million by 2050, up 67% from 2024, with the largest proportional increases in lower Human Development Index countries. Although global variation in cancer profiles demands a nuanced approach to cancer control at national and regional levels, primary prevention must be at the forefront, including intensified efforts to reduce tobacco use, prevent infections, lower alcohol consumption and excess body weight, and increase physical activity.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer-related death in the United States and ranks first in adults younger than 50 years. Every 3 years, the American Cancer Society reports on CRC occurrence based on incidence from population-based cancer registries and mortality from the National Center for Health Statistics. Overall, CRC incidence declined by 0.9% annually during 2013-2022 driven by decreases of 2.5% annually in adults aged 65 years and older. In sharp contrast, incidence rates increased by 3% annually in adults aged 20-49 years and by 0.4% annually in adults aged 50-64 years dominated by tumors in the distal colon and rectum. Consequently, overall rectal cancer incidence increased by 1% annually from 2018 to 2022 after decades of decline and now accounts for 32% of all CRC, up from 27% in the mid-2000s. Increasing CRC incidence in adults aged 50-64 years was confined to regional and distant-stage diagnosis (1.1%-1.3% annually during 2013-2022), likely contributing to an upturn in mortality in this age group of 1% annually since 2019 that was steepest (2.3% annually) in White individuals. Mortality has increased in adults younger than 50 years by 1% annually since 2004, whereas rates have decreased in adults 65 years and older by 2.3% annually since 2012. Despite steady progress for older adults, both CRC incidence and mortality are increasing in adults younger than 65 years who are in the prime of life, underscoring an urgent need for etiologic research to discover the cause of the rising trend. Meanwhile, morbidity and mortality could be mitigated with earlier diagnosis, through screening and educating clinicians and the general public about CRC symptoms, and greater attention to the unique needs of younger patients, including discussion about the preservation of fertility and sexual health.
Since 2021, the American Cancer Society has published its biennial report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States. In this 2025 report, the authors provide updated data on disparities in cancer occurrence and outcomes by sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES [educational attainment as a proxy]), and geographic location (including urbanicity of county of residence and congressional district), along with contributors to these disparities, including major cancer risk factors, screening, and select social determinants of health (SDOH) and health‐related social needs. The authors found substantial disparities across the cancer continuum, including risk factors, incidence, stage at diagnosis, receipt of care, survival, and mortality for many cancers and in evaluated SDOH by race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and geographic location. During 2019 through 2023, Black and American Indian/Alaska Native populations had the highest cancer mortality rates, both overall and for the leading causes of cancer death. Cancer mortality rates were also consistently higher among adults with lower SES. However, differences in cancer mortality were substantially larger by education than by race, indicating that SES plays a major role in driving racial disparities in cancer mortality. Overall cancer mortality rates were higher in Black adults than in White adults with the same education level by 7%–28% among males and by 2%–43% among females. Within each race, however, overall cancer mortality rates were higher in adults with ≤12 years of education than in those with ≥16 years of education by 143%–192% among males and by 71%–140% among females. Mortality from all cancers combined was 21% higher in nonmetropolitan than in large metropolitan counties, with the greatest differences for lung (45%) and cervical (36%) cancers and the smallest for prostate, female breast, and pancreatic cancers (7%–8%). By congressional district, the highest cancer mortality rates both overall and for lung, colorectal, and breast cancers were largely found in the South and East North‐Central division of the Midwest; however, for prostate cancer, there was no distinct geographic pattern. Sociodemographic groups that had higher cancer mortality generally had higher exposure to risk factors, lower health insurance coverage, and limited access to cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment compared with groups that had lower cancer mortality, largely reflecting fundamental disparities in SDOH. Mitigating cancer disparities in the United States requires intersectoral stakeholder engagement, targeted funding, effective policies at the federal, state, and local levels, and broad implementation of evidence‐based interventions, such as expanding health insurance coverage, including through strengthening Marketplaces and protecting and expanding access to Medicaid.
Background:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major global health challenge, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the burden of COPD by age, sex and Sociodemographic Index (SDI), in addition to its attributable risk factors across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. Methods:This study is a systematic analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 from 1990 to 2021 across 204 countries and territories. The study calculates age-standardised rates (ASRs) for prevalence, deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by adjusting rates to a global age distribution and computed estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) for these ASRs and the relative COPD burden, while also exploring the relationships between the SDI and age-standardised DALYs per 1000 population via linear regression. Results:In 2021, there were an estimated 213.4 million prevalent COPD cases globally, with an ASR of 2512.9 per 100 000. From 1990 to 2021, the EAPC for ASRs in prevalence was -0.044%, while the EAPC for percentage in prevalence was 1.224%. COPD caused 3.7 million deaths, with an ASR of 45.2 per 100 000, and 79.8 million DALYs, with an ASR of 940.7 per 100 000. The leading risk factor for COPD globally was particulate matter pollution, where it accounted for 41.7% of the global DALYs. Appreciable geographical and demographic variations were observed, with North America exhibiting the greatest ASRs for prevalence and South Asia showing the greatest ASRs for death rates. Conclusions:The study highlights the persistent and evolving global burden of COPD, emphasising the significant impact of environmental factors such as particulate matter pollution. It underscores the need for targeted public health interventions and resource allocation, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, to mitigate the growing COPD challenge. To enhance COPD management, the recommendations include implementing regional plans to mitigate particulate pollution, strengthening surveillance of air quality and health outcomes, developing integrated health strategies and supporting a global framework for air quality improvement.
