Some national statistics on cancer included in the New York Times feature this week :According to the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health, there will be over 1.4 million new cases of cancer diagnosed this year.
Approximately 559,000 people will die from cancer this year in the U.S., making cancer responsible for about 1 out of 4 deaths in America.
I found this next statistic interesting, as I have seen so many conflicting numbers on this topic, the number of cancers that can be attributed to lifestyle.
According to this article, about 30 percent of cancer deaths this year will be from cancers caused by tobacco use. Another 33 percent of cancer deaths will be from cancers related to obesity, physican inactivity and poor nutrition combined. I assume that leaves 37 percent of cancer deaths due to genetic or otherwise unknown causes.
As far as age, 77% of all cancers diagnosed this year will be in individuals 55 years or older.
