Nearly 1.3 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year.   

One in two men and one in three women, or approximately 120 million Americans, will develop cancer over their lifetime.    

One of every four deaths in America is caused by cancer. It is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., exceeded only by heart disease.    

Since 1990, approximately 15 million new cancer cases have been diagnosed.    

More than 1,500 people die of cancer per day - about one person every 56 seconds.   

Nearly 5 million lives have been lost to cancer since 1990.    

The National Institutes of Health estimates overall costs for cancer in 2000 at $180.2 billion.     

Our government currently invests only $3.2 billion to find cures, treatments and prevention strategies for cancer. Of these funds,   only 2% are invested in research and development. This amounts to $12.03 per year per person.    

8,900,000 people are alive today as a result of progress in cancer research.    

Over the past 30 years, the five year cancer survival rate has risen from 38% to 60% according to the National Coalition for Cancer Research.  

Statistics from: The American Cancer Society, The American Association for Cancer Research,  and The National Coalition for Cancer Research.