Who gets cancer?

More than 1.6 million people in the United States get cancer each year. Nearly half of all men and a little more than one-third of all women in the United States will have cancer during their lifetimes. Cancer can happen at any age; but more than 3 out of every 4 cancers occur in people over the age of 55. People of all racial and ethnic groups can get cancer. Today, nearly 12 million people are living with cancer or have survived the disease.