Incidence

Data Up to Date as of:

March 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 2019, 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 1,762,450 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2019, including 174,650 cases of prostate cancer, 271,270 cases of breast cancer, 228,150 cases of lung and bronchus cancer, and 145,600 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, 1975–2016.

Trends and Most Recent Estimates

All Cancer Sites Combined

By Sex

Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Both Sexes	443.8	441.6 - 446.1
	Male	479.7	476.2 - 483.3
	Female	420.4	417.3 - 423.5

By Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of all cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	425.7	423.8 - 427.6
	White	439.4	437.2 - 441.6
	Black	455.2	448.8 - 461.6
	Hispanic	345.4	340.8 - 349.9
	Asian/Pacific Islander	313.7	309.4 - 318.1
	American Indian/Alaska Native	413.3	391.2 - 436.1

Top 4 Cancer Sites

Comparison of Top Cancer Sites

Rates of new cases of the most common cancers, delay-adjusted cancer incidence, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Colon and Rectum	38.0	37.4 - 38.7
	Lung and Bronchus	51.3	50.5 - 52.0
	Female Breast	131.2	129.5 - 132.9
	Prostate	111.9	110.2 - 113.5

Colon and Rectum Cancer by Sex

Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Both Sexes	38.0	37.4 - 38.7
	Male	43.1	42.0 - 44.1
	Female	33.7	32.8 - 34.6

Colon and Rectum Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of colon and rectum cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	37.3	36.7 - 37.8
	White	36.5	35.8 - 37.1
	Black	45.8	43.8 - 47.9
	Hispanic	33.9	32.5 - 35.4
	Asian/Pacific Islander	33.6	32.2 - 35.1
	American Indian/Alaska Native	59.1	50.9 - 68.2

Lung and Bronchus Cancer by Sex

Rates of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by sex, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Both Sexes	51.3	50.5 - 52.0
	Male	58.2	57.0 - 59.5
	Female	46.0	45.0 - 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, 1992-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	47.0	46.4 - 47.7
	White	47.7	47.0 - 48.5
	Black	57.0	54.7 - 59.3
	Hispanic	27.9	26.5 - 29.3
	Asian/Pacific Islander	36.8	35.3 - 38.3
	American Indian/Alaska Native	44.7	37.3 - 53.0

Female Breast Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of female breast cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	127.9	126.5 - 129.3
	White	131.6	129.9 - 133.3
	Black	127.0	122.7 - 131.5
	Hispanic	101.8	98.7 - 105.1
	Asian/Pacific Islander	110.5	107.1 - 114.0
	American Indian/Alaska Native	93.3	80.0 - 108.1

Prostate Cancer by Race/Ethnicity

Rates of new cases of prostate cancer, delay-adjusted cancer incidence by race/ethnicity, 1992-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	105.6	104.2 - 107.0
	White	102.3	100.7 - 103.8
	Black	173.1	167.1 - 179.3
	Hispanic	80.3	76.9 - 83.9
	Asian/Pacific Islander	60.3	57.4 - 63.2
	American Indian/Alaska Native	83.6	67.0 - 102.5

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, 1992-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	All Races	6.8	6.5 - 7.2
	White	6.7	6.3 - 7.1
	Black	7.8	6.8 - 9.0
	Hispanic	9.7	8.7 - 10.7
	Asian/Pacific Islander	6.3	5.5 - 7.2
	American Indian/Alaska Native	9.2	5.4 - 14.6

Selected Cancer Sites with Increasing Trends

Rates of selected cancer sites that are increasing annually^, delay-adjusted cancer incidence, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Oral Cavity and Pharynx	12.0	11.6 - 12.4
	Melanoma of the Skin	25.8	25.3 - 26.4
	Testis	6.3	5.9 - 6.7
	Myeloma	7.6	7.3 - 7.9
	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, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Larynx	2.7	2.5 - 2.8
	Ovary	10.4	9.9 - 10.9
	Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma	1.3	1.1 - 1.4

Decreasing Less than 2% Annually

Rates of selected cancer sites that are decreasing by less than 2% per year^, delay-adjusted incidence, 1975-2016
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2016)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Stomach	6.7	6.4 - 6.9
	Urinary Bladder	19.8	19.3 - 20.3
	Brain and Other Nervous System	6.3	6.0 - 6.6
	Hodgkin Lymphoma	2.6	2.4 - 2.8
	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	19.8	19.4 - 20.3

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

1975-2016

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2012-2016

Summary Tables

Diagnosis

Recent Summary Trend

Falling

Desired Direction