Fast Facts

FAST FACTS

â–º Blood Cancer Data

• An estimated 135,000 people were diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and melanoma in 2007.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

• New cases of hematologic malignancy account for roughly 9.4% of new cancers diagnosed in 2007.

• Every five minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

• Every 10 minutes, someone dies from blood cancer.

• Blood cancers accounted for roughly 9% of all cancer mortality in 2007.

Source: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

• Currently, an estimated 823,000 Americans are living with blood cancer.

â–º Leukemia

• It is estimated that 44,240 American (all data cited herein, unless otherwise indicated, is restricted to the United States) men and women (24,800 men and 19,400 women) were diagnosed with leukemia in 2007.

Source: NCHS

• Roughly 22,000 men and women died of leukemia in 2007.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at diagnosis for leukemia was 67 years of age.

• The age distribution for leukemia diagnosis was as follows: approximately 11% of patients were diagnosed under age 20; 5% between ages 20 and 34 years; 6% between ages 35 and 44 years; 10% between 45 and 54 years; 14% between 55 and 64 years; 20% between 65 and 74 years; 24% between 75 and 84 years; and 10% 85 years of age or older.

• The age-adjusted incidence rate for leukemia, based on cases diagnosed in 2000—2004 from 17 geographic areas (selected by the National Cancer Institute [NCI] to provide a representative national sampling) was 12.3 per 100,000 men and women per year.

Source: NCHS

• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

• Leukemia incidence is most prevalent in white males (16.7 per 100,000) and least prevalent among Asian/Pacific Island women (5.9 per 100,000).

• From 2000—2004, the median age at death for leukemia was 74 years of age.

• The age-adjusted death rate for leukemia is 7.5 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are based on patients who died in 2000—2004 in the United States.

• Based on rates from 2002—2004, 1% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with leukemia at some time during their lifetime. This number can also be expressed as 1 in 79 men and women will be diagnosed with leukemia during their lifetime.

• Roughly 0.5% of men will develop leukemia between their 50th and 70th birthdays compared with 0.3% for women.

• The overall five-year relative leukemia survival rate for 1996— 2003 from the 17 NCI-selected geographic areas was 50%. Five-year relative survival rates by race and sex were: 50% for white men; 50% for white women; 41% for black men; 41% for black women.

• On January 1, 2004, in the United States there were approximately 209,000 men and women alive who had a history of leukemia—118,000 men and 91,000 women.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

â–º Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Source: NCHS

• Approximately 8,000 men and women (4,500 men and 3,500 women) were diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007.

Source: NCHS

• About 1,100 men and women died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at diagnosis for Hodgkin's lymphoma was 38 years of age.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at death for Hodgkin’s lymphoma was 61 years of age. Approximately 2% died under age 20; 16% between 20 and 34 years; 11% between 35 and 44 years; 13% between 45 and 54 years; 13% between 55 and 64 years; 17% between 65 and 74 years; 20% between 75 and 84 years; and 8% were 85 years of age or older.

• The age-adjusted death rate was 0.5 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are based on patients who died in 2000—2004 in the United States.

• Roughly 1 in 453 men and women will be diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma during their lifetime.

â–º Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

• It is estimated that, in 2007, 63,000 men and women (34,000 men and 29,000 women) were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Source: NCHS

• Roughly 18,660 men and women died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2007.

Source: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at diagnosis for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was 67 years of age.

• The age-adjusted incidence rate for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was 19.3 per 100,000 men and women per year.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at death for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was 74 years of age.

• The age-adjusted death rate for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is 7.6 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are based on patients who died in 2000—2004 in the United States.

• Based on rates from 2002—2004, 2.02% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at some time during their lifetime. This number can also be expressed as 1 in 50 men and women will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during their lifetime.

Source: Ries LG,Melbert D, Krapcho M, et al: SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975—2004, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, http://seer.cancer. gov/csr/1975_2004/, based on November 2006 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER website, 2007.

• The age-adjusted incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rose by nearly 84% from 1975—2004.

â–º Myeloma

Source: NCHS

• It is estimated that 19,900 men and women (11,000 men and 8,900 women) were diagnosed with and 10,790 men and women died of myeloma in 2007.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at diagnosis for myeloma was 70 years of age.

• The age-adjusted incidence rate for myeloma was 5.6 per 100,000 men and women per year.

• The highest incidence rates of myeloma, by race, occur in black males (14.0 per 100,000 men). The lowest incidence rates, by race, occur among Asian/Pacific Island females.

• From 2000—2004, the median age at death for myeloma was 74 years of age.

• The age-adjusted death rate was 3.7 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are based on patients who died in 2000—2004 in the United States.

• Five-year relative myeloma survival rates by race and sex are: 35.3% for white men; 31.2% for white women; 35.1% for black men; 31.7% for black women.

Source: Ries LG, Melbert D, Kraphco M, et al: SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975—2004, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2004/, based on November 2006 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, 2007.

• From 1975—2004, incidence of myeloma increased at a rate of 8%. During the same period, myeloma mortality increased by 24%.