Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. The only health condition that kills more people is heart disease.
In 2021 (the latest year for which there are global data), more than 10 million people died of cancer worldwide. That’s 1 out of every 6 deaths. Over 600,000 cancer deaths happen in the U.S. each year and about 80,000 in Canada. The rest happen in countries all around the world. About 7 out of every 10 deaths from the disease happen in low- or middle-income countries.
How Are Cancer Deaths Measured?
Experts sometimes measure cancer deaths as a simple count. But if you want to make comparisons between places or over time, it can help to measure it as a cancer death rate.
The death rate is the number of deaths divided by the number of people. To find out how many die for every 100,000 people, you can multiply this number by 100,000.
It’s possible for the actual number of deaths to go up at the same time that the death rate is going down. That’s what’s happening in the U.S. The number of deaths is going up as more people get older. But the cancer death rate for everyone in the country is going down.
Which Cancers Are Most Deadly?
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2022, the top causes of cancer death will include:
- Lung cancer: 130,180 deaths
- Colorectal cancer: 52,580 deaths
- Pancreatic cancer: 49,830 deaths
- Breast cancer: 43,780 deaths
- Prostate Cancer: 34,500 deaths
- Liver cancer: 30,520 deaths
The good news is that the death rates in the U.S. are going down for lung, colorectal, protstae, and breast cancers. But those for liver and pancreatic cancers are going up.
What About Skin Cancer?
Melanoma skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer type. Experts expect 7,650 people to die from it in 2022, up from 7,180 in 2021.
In recent years, the number of melanoma cases has risen. But the death rate for melanoma dropped by 4% per year from 2008 to 2019 because of advances in treatment.
Are Cancer Deaths Rising?
The short answer is yes and no. Experts expect the number of cancer deaths in the world to keep going up. Estimates suggest that more than 16 million people will die of cancer by the year 2040. The reason is that there will be more people, and more of them will be older people. In some parts of the world, these things that play a role in certain cancers also are on the rise:
In the U.S., the number of deaths also is going up. But the cancer death rate per 100,000 people in the U.S. is going down. Experts expect the biggest drops in U.S. cancer death rates from these seven cancer types:
According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of dying from cancer has dropped steadily in the U.S. over the last 25 years. The death rate from 1991 to 2019 dropped by 32%. In that time, 3.5 million fewer people died of cancer. That’s mostly because people in the U.S. are smoking less. Doctors have also made advances in catching the disease early and in treating it when they find it.
