According to the most recent statistical data from NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End ResultsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program provides information on cancer statistics in an effort to reduce the cancer burden among the U.S. population.https://seer.cancer.gov › about
About 80,000 young adults aged 20 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. About 5% of all cancers are diagnosed in people in this age range.
But for statistics purposes, cancers in young adults are often thought of as those that start between the ages of 20 and 39. Cancer is not common in young adults, but a wide variety of cancer types can occur in this age group, and treating these cancers can be challenging. Most cancers occur in older adults.
Cancer Cases by Age Groups
The following is the share of diagnoses for all types of cancer in the U.S. by age groups: Under 20: 1% 20-34: 3% 35-44: 5%
The cancer mortality rate is higher among men than women (189.5 per 100,000 men and 135.7 per 100,000 women). When comparing groups based on race/ethnicity and sex, cancer mortality is highest in African American men (227.3 per 100,000) and lowest in Asian/Pacific Islander women (85.6 per 100,000).
The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) regularly publishes lifetime risks of being diagnosed with each type of cancer. According to these estimates, the lifetime risk of all invasive cancers in the USA is 42.05% and 37.58% for men and women, respectively.
Risk factors such as highly processed foods, sugary beverages, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol consumption have all significantly increased since the 1950s.
Cancer is caused by changes (mutations) to the DNA within cells. The DNA inside a cell is packaged into a large number of individual genes, each of which contains a set of instructions telling the cell what functions to perform, as well as how to grow and divide.
The main reasons are genetics and certain environmental or behavioral triggers. The tendency to develop some types of cancer is believed to be inherited — that is, the genes you were born with might carry a predisposition for cancer.
Unfortunately, different cancers have different environmental risk factors, and a population that happens to escape one such danger is usually exposed to another. This is not, however, inevitable.
Everyone has a certain risk of developing cancer. A combination of genes, lifestyle and environment can affect this risk. Doctors do not know the exact causes of cancer. But there are risk factors that can increase your chance of developing it.
Is it hypochondriasis (Illness Anxiety Disorder) or OCD? When you're constantly worried that you might have cancer, there's a possibility that it could be a sign of OCD or illness anxiety disorder.
[20] In addition, a study in the UK showed that patients with anxiety disorders had higher risks for lung and brain cancer, but no increase in overall cancer risk. [21].
People with anxiety and depression sometimes manage stress poorly by engaging in unhealthy behavior. Some manage stress by drinking or smoking, while others overeat. Depression can cause fatigue, which often results in lack of exercise. All of these behaviors can result in health issues that can lead to cancer.
Lung and bronchus cancer is responsible for the most deaths with 130,180 people expected to die from this disease. That is nearly three times the 52,580 deaths due to colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest cancer, causing 49,830 deaths.
Cancer survival rates by cancer type
The cancers with the lowest five-year survival estimates are mesothelioma (7.2%), pancreatic cancer (7.3%) and brain cancer (12.8%). The highest five-year survival estimates are seen in patients with testicular cancer (97%), melanoma of skin (92.3%) and prostate cancer (88%).
You're more likely to get cancer as you get older. In fact, age is the biggest risk factor for the disease. More than nine out of 10 cancers are diagnosed in people 45 and older. Seniors older than 74 make up almost 28% of all new cancer cases.
The average age of a patient diagnosed with cancer is 66, and a quarter of all new cancer cases are diagnosed in people between 65 and 74 years old, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Some cancers are more common in young people.
Ultimately, its authors conclude, across 32 cancer types, 66% of cancer-promoting mutations arise randomly during cell division in various organs throughout life, 29% trace to environmental causes, and 5% are inherited.
While plenty of research has shown that stress can cause cancer to grow and spread in mice, studies haven't shown a clear link between stress and cancer outcomes in people. But it's difficult to study stress in people for several reasons, including challenges with defining and measuring stress.
An overall healthy dietary pattern has the potential to lower cancer risk by 10-20%. [11] The association between diet and cancer incidence varies by cancer sites and also by sex, [12] but the recommended components of a healthy diet are often similar.