Which Cancers Are Rising — and Falling — in the U.S.? 10 Key Findings From the CDC’s 2026 Cancer Report

Breast and prostate cancer incidence is rising across every racial and ethnic group in the United States, while lung cancer incidence and mortality rates continue to decline sharply, according to the CDC’s 2026 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer” was published Sept. 22 in Cancer. Researchers analyzed data from population-based cancer registries and the National Center for Health Statistics’ National Vital Statistics System to examine cancer incidence through 2022 and cancer mortality rates through 2023.

The report examined cancer trends by cancer type, sex, race and ethnicity, and age.

The findings show that cancer trends are moving in different directions: while incidence is increasing for several major cancers, mortality rates are declining for many cancers, particularly lung cancer.

Overall cancer trends

Between 2018 and 2022, the overall cancer incidence rate in the United States was 467.5 cases per 100,000 people. Cancer incidence increased by an average of 0.2% per year, continuing an upward trend that has been observed since 2012.

The overall increase was driven primarily by women. Excluding 2020, cancer incidence among women increased by an average of 0.4% per year between 2011 and 2022. Among men, incidence remained stable from 2013 through 2022.

Black men had the highest cancer incidence rate among men, at 550.6 cases per 100,000. Among women, American Indian and Alaska Native women had the highest incidence rate, at 497.7 cases per 100,000.

The overall cancer mortality rate was 145.4 deaths per 100,000 people between 2019 and 2023. Mortality rates declined by 1.6% per year among men and 1.1% per year among women, with declines observed among men and women across every racial and ethnic group.

Among children ages 14 and younger, the cancer mortality rate declined by 1.3% per year between 2004 and 2023.

1. Lung cancer deaths have fallen sharply

Lung cancer has been one of the major contributors to the decline in cancer mortality in the United States.

Between 2004 and 2023, lung cancer mortality rates fell by 52% among men and 37% among women. Lung cancer accounted for 21% of all cancer deaths in 2023, down from 29% in 2004.

Between 2018 and 2022, lung cancer incidence declined by 3.5% per year among men and 1.9% per year among women. However, incidence remained relatively unchanged among American Indian and Alaska Native women and Hispanic women.

The report noted the major decline in cigarette smoking as an important factor. Adult cigarette smoking prevalence in the United States fell from 22.6% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2024.

The proportion of lung cancers diagnosed at an early, localized stage also increased. Between 2003 and 2022, the proportion of cases diagnosed at a localized stage rose from 16% to 27% among men and from 19% to 33% among women.

Between 2000 and 2018, the five-year relative survival rate for lung cancer doubled, increasing from 15.1% to 30.1%.

2. Breast cancer incidence is increasing

Breast cancer incidence increased by 1.1% per year between 2018 and 2022. The increase occurred among women across every racial and ethnic group in the United States.

At the same time, breast cancer mortality continued to decline. Between 2019 and 2023, breast cancer mortality rates decreased by 1.5% per year among women overall.

Mortality declined among Black, Hispanic and White women but remained stable among American Indian and Alaska Native women and Asian and Pacific Islander women.

Breast cancer was the most common cancer among adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39 between 2018 and 2022. It was also the leading cause of cancer death in that age group between 2019 and 2023, although mortality declined by 3% per year during that period.

3. Prostate cancer incidence is rising

Prostate cancer incidence increased by 2.9% per year between 2018 and 2022.

The increase occurred among men across every racial and ethnic group.

Overall prostate cancer mortality declined by 0.4% per year, but the previous decline in mortality stopped among Asian and Pacific Islander, Black and White men.

4. Colorectal cancer declines have slowed

Colorectal cancer incidence declined only among White men and women and remained stable among other racial and ethnic groups.

The previous decline in colorectal cancer incidence among women also leveled off.

Among adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39, colorectal cancer mortality increased by 0.9% per year between 2019 and 2023.

5. Pancreatic cancer is increasing

Pancreatic cancer incidence increased among both men and women.

Mortality rates increased by 0.4% per year among White men, White women and Hispanic women.

Mortality remained stable among most other groups and declined slightly among Black men.

6. Uterine cancer incidence is increasing

Uterine cancer incidence increased among American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic women.

Incidence remained stable among White women.

Overall, however, uterine cancer mortality increased among women.

7. Oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers are increasing

Both the incidence and mortality rates for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx increased among men and women.

8. Liver cancer trends differ by sex

Liver cancer incidence declined among men but increased among women.

Among men, liver cancer mortality declined by 1% per year. The decline was driven by annual mortality reductions ranging from 2.4% to 8.8% among American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic men.

Among women, the increase in liver cancer mortality was limited to White women, whose mortality rate increased by 1.4% per year.

9. Myeloma mortality is declining

Myeloma mortality rates also declined substantially.

Between 2019 and 2023, myeloma mortality declined by 4.3% per year among men and 3.2% per year among women.

Along with lung cancer, myeloma was among the cancers with the largest declines in mortality rates during the period.

10. Cancer deaths are declining among children

Among children ages 14 and younger, cancer mortality declined by an average of 1.3% per year between 2004 and 2023.

American Indian and Alaska Native children had the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates. However, limited data prevented researchers from analyzing mortality trends over time in this group.

Lung cancer progress is driving the decline in cancer mortality

The CDC report shows that the long-term decline in cancer mortality in the United States is continuing. Between 2019 and 2023, overall cancer mortality declined among both men and women and across every racial and ethnic group.

The American Association for Cancer Research’s 16th annual “Cancer Progress Report” also found that the U.S. cancer death rate declined by 35% between 2015 and 2024.

The CDC said the decline in cancer deaths was driven largely by “accelerated progress against lung cancer.” The reduction in cigarette smoking, increased detection of lung cancer at earlier stages and advances in treatment have all contributed to improvements in lung cancer outcomes.

At the same time, the CDC data show that cancer trends are not moving in the same direction for every cancer type. Incidence is increasing for several common cancers, including breast and prostate cancer, while mortality is declining substantially for cancers such as lung cancer and myeloma.