Cancer Statistics, 2003

TLDR

The American Cancer Society estimates new cancer cases and deaths by compiling incidence data from the National Cancer Institute and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics, age‑adjusted to the 2000 US standard population. In 2003, an estimated 1,334,100 new cancer cases and 556,500 deaths were projected, with declining age‑adjusted death rates in the 1990s—especially among males—while incidence rose in females and stabilized in males; African‑American males saw the largest mortality decline yet still bear the highest burden, and overall deaths are rising slightly due to population aging.

Abstract

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths expected in the United States in the current year, and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival by using incidence data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Incidence and death rates are age adjusted to the 2000 US standard population. In the year 2003, we estimate that 1,334,100 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed, and 556,500 people will die from cancer in the United States. Age-adjusted cancer death rates declined in both males and females in the 1990s, though the magnitude of decline is substantially higher in males than in females. In contrast, incidence rates continued to increase in females while stabilizing in males. African-American males showed the largest decline for mortality. However, African Americans still carry the highest burden of cancer with diagnosis of cancer at a later stage and poorer survival within each stage compared with Whites. In spite of the continued decline in cancer death rates in the most recent time period, the total number of recorded cancer deaths in the United States continues to increase slightly due to the aging and expanding population.