Cancer
How common is cancer?
Cancer is a common disease. In the United States, one in three women and one in two men will develop some type of cancer in their lifetime. Some types of cancers are more common in women, while others are more common in men. Some types of cancers are more common in certain racial or ethnic groups than others. Lung, breast, prostate, and colon cancers are the most common cancers. Anyone can get cancer at any age, but the risk goes up as people get older.
Page last reviewed: March 9, 2017
Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry