Cancer Information

The list of common cancer types includes cancers that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States. Cancer incidence statistics from the American Cancer Society and other resources were used to create the list. To qualify as a common cancer, the estimated annual incidence for 2007 had to be 30,000 cases or more.

The most common type of cancer on the list is non-melanoma skin cancer, with more than 1,000,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2007. Non-melanoma skin cancers represent about half of all cancers diagnosed in this country.

The cancer on the list with the lowest incidence is thyroid cancer. The estimated number of new cases of thyroid cancer for 2007 is 33,550.

Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as "colorectal cancers," these two cancer types were combined for the list. For 2007, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer is 112,340, and the estimated number of new cases of rectal cancer is 41,420.

Kidney cancers can be divided into two major groups, renal parenchyma cancers and renal pelvis cancers. Approximately 85 percent of kidney cancers develop in the renal parenchyma,² and nearly all of these cancers are renal cell cancers. The estimated number of new cases of renal cell cancer for 2007 is 43,512.

Leukemia as a cancer type includes acute lymphoblastic (or lymphoid) leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous (or myeloid) leukemia, and other forms of leukemia. It is estimated that more than 44,000 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007, with chronic lymphocytic leukemia being the most common type (approximately 15,000 new cases).

The following table gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancer type:

Cancer Type	Estimated New Cases	Estimated Deaths
Bladder	67,160	13,750
Breast (Female -- Male)	178,480 -- 2,030	40,460 -- 450
Colon and Rectal (Combined)	153,760	52,180
Endometrial	39,080	7,400
Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer	43,512	10,957
Leukemia (All)	44,240	21,790
Lung (Including Bronchus)	213,380	160,390
Melanoma	59,940	8,110
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma	63,190	18,660
Pancreatic	37,170	33,370
Prostate	218,890	27,050
Skin (Non-melanoma)	>1,000,000	<2,000
Thyroid	33,550	1,530