Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
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Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
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Cancer prevalence is defined as the number of living people who have ever been diagnosed with cancer. It includes people diagnosed with cancer in the past (whether or not they are still being treated) as well as those who were recently diagnosed. It does not include the number of people who may develop cancer in their lifetime.
Cancer prevalence is determined by how often a cancer occurs (incidence) and by how long people normally live after diagnosis (survival). This means prevalence counts are highest for the most common cancers with the longest survival.
A common cancer with shorter survival may have a lower prevalence count than a less common cancer with longer survival. For example, although lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, the prevalence count for lung cancer is lower than that for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a less common cancer. This is because people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma are more likely to survive longer than those with lung cancer, so there are more people living after a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma than after a diagnosis of lung cancer.
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Cancer Society. Cancer Treatment & Survivorship Facts & Figures 2022-2024. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2022.
Last Revised: January 19, 2023
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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