Breast, Lung Cancer Rates Increasing in Women.

The overall incidence and mortality from cancer in the United States are decreasing. Yet lung and breast cancer rates are increasing in women, as are the incidences of 10 less common cancers, according to an annual report on national cancer trends.

The report focuses on the four leading types of cancer: breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal. In 1998, these accounted for 56% of the all cancers tracked by the National Cancer Institute and almost 53% of the cancer deaths in the United States. A new aspect of the annual report is a focus on cancers in which the incidence is increasing. (See chart.) Combined, these 10 malignancies account for about 13% of all cancers (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 93[11]:824-42, 2001).

Holly L. Howe, Ph.D., of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, Springfield, Ill., and her associates attributed the increased incidence of breast cancer to better detection. The large increase in early-stage disease endorses this conclusion.

Breast cancer was the most common malignancy detected among all women in five racial/ethnic groups (white, black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander) and the number one cause of cancer death among Hispanic women. Women in the other four groups were more likely to die from lung than from breast cancer.

On average, prostate cancer incidence increased by 3% per year from 1973 to 1987. In 1988, with the introduction of the prostate-specific antigen test, the incidence rose by more than 17% over the next 4 years. Since 1992, however, the annual incidence of new cases has declined by 6% for white men and by 4% for black men. Lung cancer remains the deadliest type of cancer for men and non-Hispanic women. In 1998, lung cancer accounted for 13% of cases and nearly 29% of deaths. The overall incidence of lung cancer has decreased by almost 2% per year ...