(Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• About 11.1 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive in January 2005.

• About 77% of all cancers are diagnosed in persons 55 and older.

• In the United States, the lifetime risk (probability that an individual, over the course of a lifetime, will develop cancer or die from it) of developing cancer is slightly less than a 1 in 2 for men, and slightly more than 1 in 3 for women.

• Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in both men and women.

• In 2009, about 60,960 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Illinois, and about 1,479,350 in the United States. (These exclude basal and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ carcinoma except urinary bladder.)

• Cancers that can be diagnosed early through screening include: breast, colon, rectum, and cervix.

• In 2009, over 1 million cases of skin cancers will be diagnosed. Many could be prevented by protection from the sun's rays and avoiding indoor tanning.

• The 5-year survival rate for all cancer diagnosed between 1996-2004 is 66%, up from 50% in 1975-1977.

• Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S, exceeded only by heart disease. In the United States, nearly 1 of every 4 deaths is from cancer.

• In 2009, about 169,000 cancer deaths will be caused by tobacco use.

• About 1/3 of cancer deaths expected to occur in 2009 will be related to overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.

2009 Estimated New Cases of Cancer for Men:

• Prostate - 192,280

• Lung & Bronchus - 116,090

• Colon & Rectum - 75,590

• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - 35,990

• Melanoma of Skin - 39,080

2009 Estimated New Cases of Cancer for Women:

• Breast - 192,370

• Lung & Bronchus - 103,350

• Colon & Rectum - 71,380

• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - 29,990

• Melanoma of Skin - 29,640