Health by the Numbers: Cancer Columbia SC

Cancer is a disease characterized by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy or carcinoma. There are more than 100 types of cancer, and some of the most common forms include breast, lung, skin, and colon cancer.

Fortunately, the risk of developing many types of cancer can be reduced through lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking or adapting a healthier diet. What's more, the earlier cancer is detected and treated, the better a patient's chances for long-term survival. Here, a look at the disease by the numbers:

• 25. Percentage of U.S. deaths caused by cancer.

• 5. Approximate percentage of cancers that are strongly hereditary, in that an inherited genetic altercation presents a very high risk of developing one or more types of cancer.

• 1 in 8. The chances a woman has of developing invasive breast cancer at some point in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.

• 1992. Year that the Mammography Quality Standards Act was passed by Congress, ensuring high-quality mammography for early breast cancer detection.

• 77. Percentage of all cancers that are diagnosed in people ages 55 and older.

• More than 2 million. Number of men in the United States who have had prostate cancer and are still alive today.

• 60. Percentage by which Hodgkin's disease death rates have fallen since the early 1970s...

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