Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer in women of all races, according to new data released by the U.S. government. Prostate cancer tops the list of cancers for men, followed by lung cancer and colon/rectal cancer. The report is based on data from 1999 and includes information on statistics for more than one million cases of invasive cancer diagnosed during that year. The report also details cancer incidence by U.S. census region and division, state, and metropolitan area.

Key statistics:

• Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women of all races and its incidence is approximately 20% higher in white women compared with black women. Lung cancer and colon/rectal cancers are the second and third most common cancers in white women, while the second most common cancer in black women is colon/rectal cancer, followed by lung cancer.
• Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in men of all races, followed by lung cancer and colon/rectal cancer. The government report states that prostate cancer incidence is 1.5 times higher in black men than white men.
• Melanoma skin cancer and cancers of the brain/other nervous systems are in the top 15 cancers for white women, but not black women.
• Melanomas skin cancer and testicular cancer are in the top 15 cancers for white men, but not black men.
• Multiple myeloma—cancer in the plasma cells—and stomach cancer are in the top 15 cancers for black women, but not white women.
• Multiple myeloma and liver cancer are in the top 15 cancers for black men, but not white men.

*Source: National Cancer Institute news release, November 18, 2002

The information was compiled jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

In another report using 1999 data, published earlier this year, the government found that cancer death rates continue to decline in the United States. The overall cancer death rates declined by approximately 1% from 1993 to 1999, which marked the first decrease since the 1930s. The decrease in cancer deaths is attributed to improved treatments, increased cancer screening, and the decline in smoking.

That report was a collaboration of the National Cancer Institute (NCI); the American Cancer Society (ACS); the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR); the National Institute on Aging (NIA); and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Despite the current decrease in cancer deaths, experts predict an increase in deaths in the next 50 years as the population ages and people live longer. Cancer death rates are expected to double from 1.3 million people in 2000 to 2.6 million people in 2050, according to Holly L. Howe, PhD, Executive Director of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. The average age of a cancer diagnosis is 68.

• The "United States Cancer Statistics: 1999 Incidence" is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/uscs/
• The November 18, 2002 National Cancer Institute news release, "HHS Issues Cancer Incidence Data by State for First Time," is available at http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter
• The July 9, 2002 Imaginis report, "Report Finds Fewer Cancer Deaths Among Americans, But Predict Increase in Near Future," is available at http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news7.09.02.asp
• The report, "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1973-1999, Featuring Implications of Age and Aging on U.S. Cancer Burden," is published in the May 15, 2002 issue of Cancer, http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0008-543X/