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Abstract
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. Incidence data (through 2018) were collected by the
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program; the National Program of Cancer
Registries; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Mortality
data (through 2019) were collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. In
2022, 1,918,030 new cancer cases and 609,360 cancer deaths are projected to occur
in the United States, including approximately 350 deaths per day from lung cancer,
the leading cause of cancer death. Incidence during 2014 through 2018 continued a
slow increase for female breast cancer (by 0.5% annually) and remained stable for
prostate cancer, despite a 4% to 6% annual increase for advanced disease since 2011.
Consequently, the proportion of prostate cancer diagnosed at a distant stage increased
from 3.9% to 8.2% over the past decade. In contrast, lung cancer incidence continued
to decline steeply for advanced disease while rates for localized-stage increased
suddenly by 4.5% annually, contributing to gains both in the proportion of localized-stage
diagnoses (from 17% in 2004 to 28% in 2018) and 3-year relative survival (from 21%
to 31%). Mortality patterns reflect incidence trends, with declines accelerating for
lung cancer, slowing for breast cancer, and stabilizing for prostate cancer. In summary,
progress has stagnated for breast and prostate cancers but strengthened for lung cancer,
coinciding with changes in medical practice related to cancer screening and/or treatment.
More targeted cancer control interventions and investment in improved early detection
and treatment would facilitate reductions in cancer mortality.