Worldwide estimates place new cancer cases at 20 million annually with 9.7 million deaths. Five year survival reaches 90 percent for breast cancer but only 28 percent for lung cancer in registry data. Incidence patterns, treatment access, prevention gaps, and care costs show the scale of current demands.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, an estimated 20.0 million new cancer cases (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) occurred worldwide
- In 2021, an estimated 9.7 million cancer deaths occurred worldwide
- Prostate cancer is estimated to have 1.4 million new cases worldwide in 2020
- The global 5-year survival for breast cancer varies widely; the SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 90.3% for women diagnosed 2013-2019 (breast cancer overall)
- The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 28.5% for lung and bronchus cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
- The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 66.8% for colorectal cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that for children with cancer, the overall 5-year survival rate is about 84%
- NCI states that about 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20
- NCI notes that in the U.S., most children with cancer are treated with chemotherapy, and many also receive surgery and/or radiation
- Global estimates indicate that about one-third of cancer deaths could be prevented through effective screening, vaccination, and risk-factor control
- WHO states that about 1 in 5 cancer deaths are linked to smoking
- WHO states that about 2 in 5 cancer cases are preventable
- In the US, the national median cost of cancer care can exceed $100,000 per person per year for some patients
- In a 2018 Health Care Cost Institute study, total cancer-related costs were $228.6 billion in 2015 in the United States
- In the US, in 2016 Medicare beneficiaries spent $36.2 billion for cancer care
Worldwide, 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths occurred in 2021.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Burden and Incidence30 stats
01
In 2021, an estimated 20.0 million new cancer cases (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) occurred worldwide
02
In 2021, an estimated 9.7 million cancer deaths occurred worldwide
03
Prostate cancer is estimated to have 1.4 million new cases worldwide in 2020
04
Lung cancer is estimated to have 2.2 million new cases worldwide in 2020
05
Breast cancer is estimated to have 2.3 million new cases worldwide in 2020
06
Colorectal cancer is estimated to have 1.9 million new cases worldwide in 2020
07
Liver cancer is estimated to have 0.9 million new cases worldwide in 2020
08
Stomach cancer is estimated to have 1.0 million new cases worldwide in 2020
09
Cervical cancer is estimated to have 0.6 million new cases worldwide in 2020
10
Ovarian cancer is estimated to have 0.3 million new cases worldwide in 2020
11
Pancreatic cancer is estimated to have 0.5 million new cases worldwide in 2020
12
Kidney cancer is estimated to have 0.4 million new cases worldwide in 2020
13
Uterine cancer is estimated to have 0.4 million new cases worldwide in 2020
14
Non-melanoma skin cancer is not included in the GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates shown by IARC
15
Worldwide, colorectal cancer accounts for about 10% of all new cancer cases in 2020
16
Worldwide, breast cancer accounts for about 11.7% of all new cancer cases in 2020
17
Worldwide, lung cancer accounts for about 11.4% of all new cancer cases in 2020
18
Worldwide, prostate cancer accounts for about 7.3% of all new cancer cases in 2020
19
Worldwide, liver cancer accounts for about 3.2% of all new cancer cases in 2020
20
In 2018, there were 18.1 million new cancer cases globally (IARC GLOBOCAN 2018 estimate)
21
In 2018, there were 9.6 million cancer deaths globally (IARC GLOBOCAN 2018 estimate)
22
In 2018, there were 14.0 million cancer deaths forecast by 2030 without scale-up efforts (WHO global cancer burden projection for 2030)
23
WHO estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases in 2020 worldwide
24
WHO estimated 10.0 million cancer deaths in 2020 worldwide
25
WHO projected that by 2040 there will be 28.4 million new cases annually
26
WHO projected that by 2040 there will be 16.3 million cancer deaths annually
27
In the US, an estimated 1,918,030 new cancer cases are projected for 2022
28
In the US, an estimated 609,820 cancer deaths are projected for 2022
29
In the US, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetimes (lifetime risk)
30
In the US, men have a lifetime risk of 1 in 2 and women have a lifetime risk of 1 in 3 for cancer diagnosis
Interpretation
Global Burden and Incidence Interpretation
Cancer statistics read like a grim roll call: around 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths worldwide in 2021, with projections rising toward 28.4 million new cases and 16.3 million deaths annually by 2040, even as survival inches forward in some places like the United States where millions live on after cancer, but the world still cannot afford to treat this as anything less than a leading cause of mortality.
02 · Category
Treatment Outcomes and Survival30 stats
01
The global 5-year survival for breast cancer varies widely; the SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 90.3% for women diagnosed 2013-2019 (breast cancer overall)
02
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 28.5% for lung and bronchus cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
03
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 66.8% for colorectal cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
04
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 99.0% for prostate cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
05
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 69.0% for urinary bladder cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
06
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 51.5% for kidney and renal pelvis cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
07
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 63.1% for melanoma of the skin diagnosed 2013-2019
08
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 67.9% for non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed 2013-2019
09
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 88.7% for Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed 2013-2019
10
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 51.2% for leukemia (all types) diagnosed 2013-2019
11
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 68.6% for thyroid cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
12
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 46.8% for pancreas cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
13
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 67.1% for uterine corpus cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
14
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 47.3% for ovarian cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
15
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 68.0% for liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
16
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 33.0% for stomach cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
17
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 22.4% for esophageal cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
18
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 58.8% for head and neck cancers diagnosed 2013-2019
19
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 66.3% for multiple myeloma diagnosed 2013-2019
20
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 63.0% for larynx cancer diagnosed 2013-2019
21
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 60.9% for prostate cancer localized to prostate
22
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 30.8% for prostate cancer regional
23
The SEER 18 registries report a 5-year relative survival of 5.2% for prostate cancer distant
24
For melanoma of the skin, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 99.1% for localized disease diagnosed 2013-2019
25
For melanoma of the skin, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 27.7% for distant disease diagnosed 2013-2019
26
For colorectal cancer, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 90.2% for localized disease diagnosed 2013-2019
27
For colorectal cancer, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 13.9% for distant disease diagnosed 2013-2019
28
For lung and bronchus cancer, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 63.1% for localized disease diagnosed 2013-2019
29
For lung and bronchus cancer, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 8.7% for distant disease diagnosed 2013-2019
30
For breast cancer, SEER reports a 5-year relative survival of 99.0% for localized disease diagnosed 2013-2019
Interpretation
Treatment Outcomes and Survival Interpretation
Across the 2013 to 2019 SEER 18 landscape, five year survival ranges from breast and localized melanoma being nearly a lock to cancers like distant esophageal and distant lung being brutally unforgiving, and the message is the same in every number: where the cancer is at diagnosis matters as much as which cancer it is.
03 · Category
Treatment Modalities and Utilization20 stats
01
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that for children with cancer, the overall 5-year survival rate is about 84%
02
NCI states that about 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20
03
NCI notes that in the U.S., most children with cancer are treated with chemotherapy, and many also receive surgery and/or radiation
04
NCI states that radiotherapy is used to treat about half of people with cancer
05
WHO reports that chemotherapy is used in a majority of cancer care pathways for many cancer types
06
WHO states that surgery is one of the main types of cancer treatment and can be used to cure some cancers and to control others
07
WHO states that cancer can be treated with radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy
08
NCI states that immunotherapy helps the immune system fight cancer
09
NCI states that targeted therapy uses drugs to target specific molecules in cancer cells
10
NCI states that hormone therapy is used to treat certain cancers such as breast and prostate
11
NCI states that clinical trials are used to evaluate new treatments
12
The U.S. FDA states that 5-year overall survival improved for many cancers due to screening and advances in treatment, but specific figures vary; however, it reports that as of 2023 there are hundreds of FDA-approved cancer therapies (checkable)
13
In the US, the proportion of people with cancer receiving chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery varies; SEER provides treatment data for certain cancers like breast; exact proportions are not universally available as a single figure
14
SEER Treatment data includes initial course of therapy for several cancer sites, including chemotherapy and radiation
15
NCI PDQ states that neoadjuvant therapy is used before primary treatment to shrink tumors
16
NCI PDQ describes adjuvant therapy given after primary treatment to reduce recurrence risk
17
NCI states that stem cell transplant is used for certain blood cancers
18
NCI notes that CAR T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy that modifies a patient's T cells to recognize cancer
19
The NCCN guideline summary for radiation therapy planning includes hypofractionation schedules commonly used (institutional variation)
20
The American Cancer Society states that most people with cancer will receive some form of cancer treatment, but specifics vary by cancer type and stage
Interpretation
Treatment Modalities and Utilization Interpretation
Cancer statistics read like a hopeful patchwork of progress and complexity: most children who get cancer now survive about five years (roughly 84%), about 1 in 285 U.S. children are diagnosed before age 20, and treatment can range from chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, neoadjuvant and adjuvant approaches, and even stem cell or CAR T cell treatments, with survival improvements and hundreds of FDA approved options reflecting real gains even as the exact mix varies by cancer type and stage.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevention, Screening, and Risk Reduction26 stats
01
Global estimates indicate that about one-third of cancer deaths could be prevented through effective screening, vaccination, and risk-factor control
02
WHO states that about 1 in 5 cancer deaths are linked to smoking
03
WHO states that about 2 in 5 cancer cases are preventable
04
WHO states that infections account for around 13% of all cancers worldwide
05
WHO states that obesity accounts for about 3–4% of cancers worldwide
06
WHO states that physical inactivity contributes to about 3–5% of cancers worldwide
07
WHO states that alcohol use contributes to about 4% of cancers worldwide
08
WHO states that air pollution contributes to about 3% of cancers worldwide
09
WHO states that ultraviolet radiation causes 1.5%–3% of cancers worldwide
10
WHO states that salt and processed foods are linked to stomach cancer
11
The US CDC reports that human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with nearly all cervical cancers and many other cancers
12
The CDC states HPV causes an estimated 91% of anal cancers
13
The CDC states HPV causes about 70% of oropharyngeal cancers
14
The CDC states HPV causes about 60% of penile cancers
15
The CDC states HPV causes about 75% of vaginal cancers
16
The CDC states HPV causes about 70% of vulvar cancers
17
The CDC states HPV causes about 90% of cervical cancers
18
WHO recommends HPV vaccines as a preventive measure against cervical cancer
19
WHO states that hepatitis B vaccination can prevent liver cancer
20
The CDC states that hepatitis B infection can lead to liver cancer
21
USPSTF recommends mammography screening every 2 years for women aged 50 to 74 (Grade B)
22
USPSTF recommends colorectal cancer screening for adults aged 45 to 75 (Grade A)
23
USPSTF recommends lung cancer screening with annual low-dose CT for adults aged 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years (Grade B)
24
USPSTF recommends cervical cancer screening with HPV testing every 5 years for women aged 30 to 65 (Grade A)
25
USPSTF recommends screening for cervical cancer for women aged 21 to 65 (varies by age and test type) with a Grade A recommendation for HPV-based screening for appropriate groups
26
The WHO recommends breast cancer early detection by screening where feasible, including mammography for eligible populations
Interpretation
Prevention, Screening, and Risk Reduction Interpretation
These statistics add up to the grimly funny truth that a large share of cancer is preventable with practical choices like not smoking, moving more, drinking less, eating smarter, and getting the right vaccines and screenings, especially HPV and hepatitis B, because the most effective “treatment” often happens before a diagnosis ever lands.
05 · Category
Health System, Economics, Access, and Equity26 stats
01
In the US, the national median cost of cancer care can exceed $100,000per person per year for some patients
02
In a 2018 Health Care Cost Institute study, total cancer-related costs were $228.6 billion in 2015 in the United States
03
In the US, in 2016 Medicare beneficiaries spent $36.2 billion for cancer care
04
The US NCI states that in 2015 Medicare spent $30.4 billion on cancer care
05
The American Cancer Society estimates that there were 2.0 million people newly diagnosed with cancer in the US in 2023
06
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 609,820 cancer deaths in the US in 2022
07
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 1,918,030 new cancer cases in the US in 2022
08
In the US, 2023 projected new cancer cases: 1,958,310
09
In the US, 2023 projected cancer deaths: 609,820
10
The WHO reports that 60% of people who need cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries do not receive it
11
WHO reports that access to pain relief is inadequate for millions, including those with cancer
12
WHO reports that in many countries, cancer screening coverage is low
13
The Global Cancer Observatory (IARC) provides cancer incidence and mortality by country
14
IARC GLOBOCAN provides cancer burden estimates for 185 countries
15
The Global Cancer Observatory includes data for 36 cancer sites
16
WHO Global Health Observatory reports radiotherapy access gaps; in 2019, around 50% of populations in low-income countries did not have access to radiotherapy
17
IAEA estimates global radiotherapy needs: additional 5,000 machines needed to meet demand (commonly cited)
18
A Lancet Oncology commission found that 30% of cancer patients in LMICs do not have access to diagnosis
19
A Lancet Oncology article reported that only 35% of cancer patients in low-income settings receive timely cancer treatment
20
The US Cancer Statistics (USCS) data include statewide cancer incidence, survival, and mortality
21
CDC’s USCS provides data for all 50 states and DC
22
CDC reports that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US
23
NIH NCI notes that clinical trials can improve access to new treatments
24
NCI reports that only about 5% of adults with cancer enroll in clinical trials
25
ASCO states that delays in cancer treatment can worsen outcomes, highlighting access gaps
26
The National Cancer Institute states that disparities in cancer outcomes exist by race and socioeconomic status
Interpretation
Health System, Economics, Access, and Equity Interpretation
Cancer care in the United States can cost more than $100,000 a year for some patients, yet millions around the world still cannot get the basics, including timely diagnosis, treatment, pain relief, screening, and even radiotherapy, while the gap between the number of people newly diagnosed and those who die keeps widening and access to newer therapies remains limited even at home.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Cancer Treatment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cancer-treatment-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Cancer Treatment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cancer-treatment-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Cancer Treatment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cancer-treatment-statistics.
Sources & references
80 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+66 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)