As you read the staggering statistics from the American Cancer Society, remember that there are steps we can all take – small steps every day – to help prevent this disease and lower these numbers.
- Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. after cardiovascular disease.
- About 1,200,100 new invasive cancer causes were diagnosed in 2000.
- One out of every four people in the U.S. will eventually develop cancer.
- About half of all men and one third of all women will develop cancer.
- Almost 80 percent of all cancer cases are diagnosed at the age of 55 and older.
- Research suggests that about one-third of cancer deaths in the U.S. are related to diet – another third are due to cigarette smoking.
- For those who do not smoke, physical activity and dietary habits become the most significant controllable determinants of cancer risk.
- Only about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers result from inherited defective genes that predispose a person to a very high risk of certain types of cancer.