Odds Of Getting Cancer
The term cancer refers to uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. There are trillions of cells in our body. Under normal circumstances, the cells grow and divide according to the body’s needs.
The term cancer refers to uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. There are trillions of cells in our body. Under normal circumstances, the cells grow and divide according to the body’s needs. When the cells become old or develop any abnormality, they die. Thus, the growth, division and death of the cells occur under regulated conditions in the body. This ensures that body functions occur optimally while maintaining the structure of various tissues and organs in the body. When this regulation on cell growth, division and death is disturbed, cancer begins. Thus, the abnormal or “cancerous” cell is no more under the control of the regulatory machinery, and it keeps dividing to produce more cells of its type. This leads to the crowding of cells at the affected site. The abnormal cells devour the nutrients and oxygen while depriving the normal cells of nutrients, oxygen, and even space. The abnormal cells invade nearby and distant sites (metastasis) hampering normal functioning wherever they go.
Cancer can affect almost any part of the body from the head to the toes and is named according to the site of origin. Cancer can be divided into two broad categories.
Hematologic or blood cancer: It arises from any of the blood cells. Examples include lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma.
Solid tumor cancer: It arises from the tissues and organs other than the blood cells. Examples include breast, prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer.
One in three people in the United States suffers from cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. It affects around 1.8 million people each year in the United States. Moreover, it causes the second-highest number of deaths (after ischemic heart disease) in the United States. It was responsible for around 606,520 deaths in 2020.
The odds of having any type of cancer depend on the presence of several risk factors that make you more likely to have that cancer. These include factors such as
Age
Gender
Personal or family history of cancer
Exposure to any cancer-causing chemicals or ultraviolet (UV) rays
Lifestyle that includes addictions (smoking and alcohol consumption)
Thus, the lifetime risk or odds of developing or dying from any type of cancer differ from person to person.
The risk of cancer or dying from it can be expressed in two ways: percentage and odds. Thus, if a man’s risk of dying from breast cancer in the United States is 0.03 percent, it means he has around 1 in 3,333 (100/0.03) chance of dying from breast cancer. In terms of odds, it means around 1 in 3,333 men in the United States will die from breast cancer.
The lifetime risks of developing and dying from certain cancers for men and women in the United States are given in the tables below. Data are taken from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Risks are expressed as an average for the entire US population. Thus, your individual risk may vary depending upon the presence or absence of any risk factors.
Table 1. Risk of developing or dying from cancer for men in the United States
Risk of developing
Risk of dying from
%
1 in
%
1 in
All invasive sites
40.14
2
21.34
5
Bladder (includes in situ)
3.86
26
0.93
108
Brain and nervous system
0.69
145
0.53
189
Breast
0.13
769
0.03
3,333
Colon and rectum
4.41
23
1.83
55
0.80
125
0.76
132
Hodgkin lymphoma
0.24
417
0.04
2,500
Kidney and renal pelvis
2.16
46
0.60
167
Larynx (voice box)
0.53
189
0.19
526
1.86
54
0.96
104
Liver and bile duct
1.44
69
1.02
98
Lung and bronchus
6.70
15
5.49
18
Melanoma of the skin
2.77
36
0.39
256
Multiple myeloma
0.93
108
0.47
213
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
2.43
41
0.81
123
Oral cavity and pharynx
1.66
60
0.42
238
Pancreas
1.66
60
1.39
72
Prostate
11.60
9
2.44
41
Stomach
1.07
93
0.45
222
Testicles
0.40
250
0.02
5,000
Thyroid
0.70
143
0.06
1,667
Table 2. Risk of developing or dying from cancer for women in the United States
Risk of developing
Risk of dying from
%
1 in
%
1 in
All invasive sites
38.70
3
18.33
5
Bladder (includes in situ)
1.18
85
0.35
286
Brain and nervous system
0.55
182
0.42
238
Breast
12.83
8
2.57
39
Cervix
0.63
159
0.22
455
Colon and rectum
4.08
25
1.68
60
Esophagus
0.24
417
0.20
500
Hodgkin lymphoma
0.20
500
0.03
3,333
Kidney and renal pelvis
1.23
81
0.33
303
Larynx (voice box)
0.13
769
0.05
2,000
Leukemia
1.29
78
0.68
147
Liver and bile duct
0.62
161
0.54
185
Lung and bronchus
6.05
17
4.50
22
Melanoma of the skin
1.79
56
0.19
526
Multiple myeloma
0.71
141
0.38
263
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
1.93
52
0.64
156
Oral cavity and pharynx
0.71
141
0.19
526
Ovary
1.25
80
0.88
114
Pancreas
1.60
63
1.35
74
Stomach
0.66
152
0.30
333
Thyroid
1.93
52
0.07
1,429
Uterus
3.07
33
0.63
159