The most common type of cancer on the list is non-melanoma skin cancer, with more than 1,000,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2005 alone. Non-melanoma skin cancers represent about half of all cancers diagnosed in the United States.
The cancers on the list with the lowest incidence are renal cell cancer of the kidney and thyroid cancer. The estimated number of new cases of kidney cancer (renal cell and renal pelvis) for 2005 is 36,160. Approximately 70% of all kidney cancers are renal cell cancers,2 suggesting that slightly more than 25,000 new cases of renal cell cancer will be diagnosed in 2005. The estimated number of new cases of thyroid cancer for 2005 is 25,690.
Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as "colorectal cancers," these two cancer types were combined for the list. For 2005, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer is 104,950, and the estimated number of new cases of rectal cancer is 40,340. These numbers are slightly smaller than those estimated for 2004.
Leukemia as a cancer type includes acute lymphoblastic (or lymphoid) leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous (or myeloid) leukemia, and other forms of leukemia. It is estimated that more than 34,000 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2005, with acute myeloid leukemia being the most common type (approximately 12,000 new cases). The total number of new leukemia cases estimated for 2005 is slightly larger than the number estimated for 2004.
References
1. American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2005. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2005. Also available online. Last accessed January 24, 2005.
2. McLaughlin JK, Lipworth L: Epidemiologic aspects of renal cell cancer. Seminars in Oncology 21(2):115-123, 2000. [PubMed Abstract]