More than 50%
of cancers are diagnosed in
people age 65 or older (7).
89%
Overall
84%
Regional
99%
Local
24%
Distant
Stage at diagnosis
a;ects the 5-year survival for
women with breast cancer ;1;
Although tremendous progress against cancer has been
made (see Table 2, p. 4 and Table 3 , p. 6), the number of
Americans receiving a cancer diagnosis each year has
been increasing steadily for the past four decades, and this
number is expected to rise signi;cantly, reaching almost
2. 4 million in 2035 ( 6). ;is projected increase is largely
because cancer is, primarily, a disease of aging. Most cancer
diagnoses occur in those age 65 and older (7), and this
portion of the U.S. population is expected to double by
2060 ( 8). High rates of obesity and continued use of tobacco
products by 18 percent of adults in the United States ( 9),
both of which are linked to an elevated risk for numerous
types of cancer ( 10, 11), are contributing to the problem.
;is rise in cancer cases is directly leading to an increase
in the number of Americans dying of cancer. In fact, it
is estimated that 585,720 people will die of some form of
cancer in 2014 ( 1). Unless more e;ective strategies for
