In the period 2018 to 2022, a total of approximately 173 men per 100,000 inhabitants died of cancers of all kinds in the United States, compared to an overall cancer death rate of 126 per 100,000 population among women. This statistic shows cancer death rates in the U.S. for the period from 2018 to 2022, by type and gender.
Lung cancer had the highest rate of death among all cancer types worldwide in 2022. In that year, there were around 17 deaths from trachea, bronchus and lung cancer per 100,000 population. The death rate for all cancers was 91.1 per 100,000 population. This statistic shows the rate of cancer deaths worldwide in 2022, by type of cancer.
In 2022, there were an estimated 2.48 million new cases of trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer worldwide. Breast cancer was the second most common cancer type at that time with around 2.3 million new cases worldwide.
Number of new cancer cases
Cancer can be caused by internal factors like genetics and mutations, as well as external factors such as smoking and radiation. It occurs in the presence of uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. However, many cancer cases could be prevented, for example, by omitting cigarette usage and heavy alcohol consumption. Risk of developing cancer tends to increase with age and is most common in older adults. Nevertheless, cancer can develop in individuals of any age. Cancer can be treated through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, among other methods.
In the United States, there will be an estimated two million new cancer cases and 611,720 deaths in 2024. Among U.S. men, prostate cancer and lung and bronchus cancers are the most common cancer types as of 2024, totaling an estimated 299,010 and 116,310 cases, respectively. In women, breast cancer and lung and bronchus cancer are the most common newly diagnosed types, totaling 310,720 and 118,270 cases, respectively.
Cancer was responsible for around 142 deaths per 100,000 population in the United States in 2022. The death rate for cancer has steadily decreased since the 1990’s, but cancer still remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. The deadliest type of cancer for both men and women is cancer of the lung and bronchus which will account for an estimated 65,790 deaths among men alone in 2024. Probability of surviving Survival rates for cancer vary significantly depending on the type of cancer. The cancers with the highest rates of survival include cancers of the thyroid, prostate, and testis, with five-year survival rates as high as 99 percent for thyroid cancer. The cancers with the lowest five-year survival rates include cancers of the pancreas, liver, and esophagus. Risk factors It is difficult to determine why one person develops cancer while another does not, but certain risk factors have been shown to increase a person’s chance of developing cancer. For example, cigarette smoking has been proven to increase the risk of developing various cancers. In fact, around 81 percent of cancers of the lung, bronchus and trachea among adults aged 30 years and older can be attributed to cigarette smoking. A recent poll indicated that many U.S. adults believed smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products increased a person’s risk of developing cancer, but a much smaller percentage believed the same for proven risk factors such as obesity and drinking alcohol.
In 2022, prostate cancer was the most common type of cancer among newly diagnosed patients in Peru, with approximately 8,600 new cases reported. Breast cancer ranked second, with close to 7,800 new cases. As of 2023, Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins was the hospital with the most oncology equipment for cancer treatment in Peru.
Breast cancer was the cancer type with the highest rate of death among females worldwide in 2022. That year, there were around 13 deaths from breast cancer among females per 100,000 population. The death rate for all cancers among females was 76.4 per 100,000 population. This statistic displays the rate of cancer deaths among females worldwide in 2022, by type of cancer.
In 2022, cancer caused more than 2.5 million deaths in China, making it one of the major causes of death in the country. Lung cancer was by far the most lethal type of cancer, killing more than 733,000 patients. Other dangerous types include liver, stomach, and oesophageal cancers. Breast cancer, although the sixth most common cancer in terms of new cases, was relatively less deadly than many other types, with less than 75,000 victims.
The burden of cancer in China The high prevalence of cancer carries heavy burdens for patients, their families, and China's healthcare providers. As a group of serious chronic conditions, some cancers are characterized by their low cure rates and increased risks of relapse. At the same time, cancer treatments often require advanced medical resources, usually only found in tier-three general hospitals or specialist cancer institutions. Expensive targeted drugs and imported pharmaceuticals are often necessary to treat cancer patients, thus imposing financial burdens on the patients and their families. Due to the continuous improvement of China's medical insurance system, the financial burden inflicted by cancer has been significantly reduced in many regions.
Challenges to reducing cancer rates
In China, reducing the prevalence of cancer has proven particularly challenging. The incidence of lung cancer remains very high in the country, primarily attributed to high smoking rates and air pollution. At the same time, some dietary habits unique to China, including the preference for consuming very hot water and dishes, have also contributed significantly to the high rates of stomach and oesophageal cancers.
The cancer type with the highest prevalence rate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022 was breast cancer, with 213.1 cases per 100,000 population. This was followed by prostate cancer and colorectal cancer, with prevalence rates of 175.8 and 61.3 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. That year, breast and prostate cancer were also the two cancer types with the highest mortality rates in the region.
Regional variations in cancer prevalence
While breast cancer has a higher prevalence rate in Latin America overall, individual countries show distinct patterns. Uruguay stands out with the highest age-standardized cancer prevalence rates in Latin America and the Caribbean for both men and women, at 1,331.5 and 1,301.6 cases per 100,000 population as of 2022, followed by Barbados, Cuba, and Argentina. When it comes to differences between genders, while some countries like Chile and Cuba show higher rates among men, most nations in the region report higher prevalence rates among women.
Medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment
Like prevalence rates, the availability of specialized medical equipment used for cancer diagnosis and treatment in Latin American hospitals varies from country to country and from technology to technology. As of 2023, while one in four hospitals in the region had CT scanners, only one percent had robotic surgery systems. When it comes to basic equipment, ECG and ultrasound machines are the most common type of equipment found in Latin American hospitals.
It is estimated that around 280,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Spain during 2023, of which 160,000 are expected in men and 120,000 in women. Breast cancer is expected to be the type with the highest incidence in the country, with more than 35,000 new cases estimated for 2023, followed by lung and prostate cancer with 31,282 and 29,002 cases, respectively.
Cancer-related deaths
In 2021, cancer was responsible for approximately 114,000 deaths in Spain. Lung and bronchial cancer caused the highest number of cancer deaths in the country, accounting for approximately 22,400 terminal cases. In fact, it was the fourth main cause of death overall, only after COVID-19, coronary artery disease (CAD), and cerebrovascular disease. Lung cancer is highly associated with smoking and is therefore among the most preventable diseases.
Most common types of cancer worldwide
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the world. In 2020, around a quarter of all new cancer cases within this group was attributed to breast cancer. Colorectum and lung cancer followed, accounting for 9.4 and 8.4 percent of all new cancer cases among women that year, respectively. In comparison, lung cancer was the most common type of cancer among men, with a share of 14.3 percent. Prostate cancer followed closely, with 14.1 percent.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.82 million deaths in 2022. The second most deadly form of cancer is colorectum cancer, followed by liver cancer. However, lung cancer is only the sixth leading cause of death worldwide, with heart disease and stroke accounting for the highest share of deaths.
Male vs. female cases
Given that lung cancer causes the highest number of cancer deaths worldwide, it may be unsurprising to learn that lung cancer is the most common form of new cancer cases among males. However, among females, breast cancer is by far the most common form of new cancer cases. In fact, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer worldwide, followed by prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is a very close second to lung cancer among the cancers with the highest rates of new cases among men.
Male vs. female deaths
Lung cancer is by far the deadliest form of cancer among males but is the second deadliest form of cancer among females. Breast cancer, the most prevalent form of cancer among females worldwide, is also the deadliest form of cancer among females. Although prostate cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among men, it is the fifth deadliest cancer. Lung, liver, stomach, colorectum, and oesophagus cancers all have higher deaths rates among males.
Lung cancer was the cancer type with the highest rate of death among males worldwide in 2022. In that year there were around 25 deaths from trachea, bronchus and lung cancer among males per 100,000 population. The death rate for all cancers among males was 109 per 100,000 population. This statistic shows the rate of cancer deaths among males worldwide in 2022, by type of cancer.
In 2022, breast cancer had the rate of incidents among all cancer types in the Middle East and North Africa, at 49 new cases per 100,000 people. Trachea, bronchus and lung cancer had the second highest rate in the region. Vaginal, Oropharynx, and penis cancer all had the lowest incidence with a rate of under 0.2 cases per 100,000 people.
Breast cancer was the most prevalent cancer type in 2022 with around 48 women living with this type of cancer per 100,000 population. The 12-month prevalence rate for prostate cancer as of this time was 30.5 per 100,000 population. This statistic shows the number of prevalent cancer cases worldwide in 2022, by type of cancer.
In 2022, the most common type of cancer for newly diagnosed patients in Mexico was breast cancer, with 31,000 new cases reported. Prostate cancer followed, with about 26,600 new cases. In that year, colon cancer accounted for the highest number of cancer deaths in the country.
In 2022, there were approximately 168.5 thousand new cases of breast cancer in Southeast Asia. In comparison, there were 770 new Mesothelioma cancer cases in the region in 2022.
In 2022, lung cancer was the type of cancer which caused the most deaths in Southeast Asia, at over 116 thousand. In comparison, vaginal cancer caused 441 deaths in Southeast Asia in 2022.
In 2022, the highest cancer rate for men and women among European countries was in Denmark with 728.5 cancer cases per 100,000 population. Ireland and the Netherlands followed, with 641.6 and 641.4 people diagnosed with cancer per 100,000 population, respectively.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer worldwide, and in Europe, Germany was the country with the highest number of lung cancer deaths in 2022, with 47.7 thousand deaths. However, when looking at the incidence rate of lung cancer, Hungary had the highest for both males and females, with 138.4 and 72.3 cases per 100,000 population, respectively.
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women with an incidence rate of 83.3 cases per 100,000 population in Europe in 2022. Cyprus was the country with the highest incidence of breast cancer, followed by Belgium and France. The mortality rate due to breast cancer was 34.8 deaths per 100,000 population across Europe, and Cyprus was again the country with the highest figure.
China recorded more than 4.8 million new cancer cases in 2022. Lung cancer was the most common type of cancer, with more than 1.06 million new cases. Colorectum and thyroid cancers were also common, with almost a million new cases combined. Although breast cancer was the most common cancer globally, it ranked sixth in China with more than 357,000 new cases.
High prevalence of smoking
Smoking behavior has a direct correlation with cancer, especially lung cancer. China has the largest population of smokers in the world, with the sales value for traditional cigarettes amounting to 1.77 trillion yuan in 2021. As the tobacco industry is a key source of tax revenue in China, smoking bans and smoking cessation incentives are not widely implemented in the country.
Oncology hospitals and treatments
As the prevalence of cancer in China continued to rise in recent years, the demand for cancer treatment has increased substantially. Specialized oncology hospitals are commonly found in large cities, while most general hospitals, especially tier-three hospitals, also have oncology departments. The number of beds and high-end medical equipment in oncology hospitals rose considerably in the last decade, enabling cancer patients to receive more effective treatments.
In 2022, around 2,200 patients were diagnosed with cervix uteri cancer in Bolivia, making this type of cancer the most common among newly diagnosed people in the South American country. Prostate cancer and breast cancer followed, with 1,935 and 1,679 new cases, respectively. That year, stomach cancer accounted for 1,092 cases.
Approximately 63 new non-melanoma skin cancer diagnoses per 100,000 population were recorded in Russia in 2023, which was the highest figure among other types of the disease. The second-most common cancer type among newly diagnosed cases concerned trachea, bronchi, and lungs.
In the period 2018 to 2022, a total of approximately 173 men per 100,000 inhabitants died of cancers of all kinds in the United States, compared to an overall cancer death rate of 126 per 100,000 population among women. This statistic shows cancer death rates in the U.S. for the period from 2018 to 2022, by type and gender.