CANCER STATISTICS

Cancer is now the leading cause of death worldwide, surpassing heart disease in 2010.

Although cancer death statistics can vary from place to place, it is generally estimated that approximately 7.2 to 7.6 million people worldwide die from cancer each year.  In 2007, 7.9 million people died of cancer. Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue to rise to over 11 million in 2030.  More than 70% of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.  80% of deaths due to cancer of the cervix occur in developing countries.  The main types of cancer are Lung (1.4 million deaths), Stomach (740,000 deaths), Liver (700,000 deaths), Colorectal (610,000 deaths), Breast (460,000 deaths).

In the United States, cancer affects one in three women, and one in two men.  The United States has a death rate of approximately 550,000 to 600,000 people per year, which is roughly 1,500 people per day. Approximately 11.4 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive in 2006.

Lung cancer is the leading causes of cancer death in women, and Breast Cancer is second.  More than 30% of cancer deaths can be prevented.  40% of cancers can be avoided by "simple measures" which include stopping smoking, limiting alcohol, avoiding too much sun exposure, keeping an average weight by eating healthily, exercising, and finally protecting against infections that can develop into cancer.

The overall cost of cancer in 2010 was estimated at $263.8 billion dollars.  In 2009, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) budget was $4.96 billion, 2010 was $5.1 billion, and the budget request for 2011 is $5.26 Billion.

Lack of health insurance prevents many Americans from receiving adequate health care.  46 million Americans were uninsured in 2008. About 28% of Americans aged 18 to 64 had no health insurance, and about 13% of children in the United States had no health insurance.

Childhood Cancer includes;

♦ Leukemia 31%

♦ Brain 21.3%

♦ Neuroblastoma 7.1%

♦ Kidney 5.2%

♦ Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 4.3%

♦ Hodgkin Lymphoma 3.8%

♦ Rhabdomyosarcoma 3.3%

♦ Reinoblastoma 2.6%

♦ Osteosarcoma 2.5%

♦ Ewing Sarcoma 1.6%