Lifetime Probability of Developing or Dying From Cancer
Cited in 3 Likelier entries (3 risks, 0 decisions).
Used in 3 entries
For each citing entry, the verbatim excerpt and Likelier's calculation notes (how the source's number was converted to the lifetime-probability framing) are shown below. Click through to read the full claim ledger.
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Lifetime probability of dying from cancer in the US: 17.2% for men (≈ 1 in 6), 16% for women (≈ 1 in 6)
“"Men: Developing any cancer 39.9% (1 in 3); Dying from cancer 17.2% (1 in 6). Women: Developing any cancer 39.0% (1 in 3); Dying from cancer 16% (1 in 6)."”
Calculation notes
ACS uses SEER incidence data (2018, 2019, 2021) and SEER mortality data (2020-2022) to compute direct lifetime probabilities from a life-table conditional on birth. ~17% US lifetime cancer death probability is the methodological gold standard for "direct" lifetime risk; it anchors the top of the Likelier uncertainty band. The global figure sits below the US figure because competing mortality in LMICs removes adults from the denominator before they reach peak cancer-risk age, not because cancer is "safer" globally.
Independence note: SEER (NCI) and IARC (WHO) are independent compilation pipelines — SEER is US-only vital registration and population-based cancer registries, IARC aggregates national registry data worldwide. Comparing the two anchors the global-vs-US gap.
Source date: 2025-01-30 · Accessed: 2026-04-11
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US lifetime probability of dying from lung and bronchus cancer: 3.7% for men (≈ 1 in 27), 3.5% for women (≈ 1 in 29)
“"Lung and bronchus [mortality]: Men 3.7% (1 in 27); Women 3.5% (1 in 29)."”
Calculation notes
ACS uses SEER mortality data (2020-2022) to compute direct lifetime probabilities from a life-table conditional on birth. These are methodologically the gold standard for "direct" lifetime risk and anchor the US row in regional_breakdown. Note that these figures are averaged across US smokers and never-smokers; the smoker-only figure is an order of magnitude higher, and the never-smoker figure is an order of magnitude lower. The US number sits above the global adult figure of ~1.8% mainly because historical US smoking prevalence was high and because competing mortality in LMICs removes adults from the denominator before they reach peak lung-cancer-risk age.
Independence note: SEER (NCI) and IARC (WHO) are independent compilation pipelines — SEER is US-only vital registration and population-based cancer registries, IARC aggregates national registry data worldwide. Comparing the two anchors the global-vs-US gap in this entry’s regional_breakdown.
Source date: 2025-01-30 · Accessed: 2026-04-11
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Melanoma of the skin: men 3.5% (1 in 29) risk of developing, 0.4% (1 in 269) risk of dying; women 2.5% (1 in 40) risk of developing, 0.2% (1 in 496) risk of dying — figures are for non-Hispanic White people
“"Melanoma of the skin: 3.5% risk of developing (1 in 29), 0.4% risk of dying from (1 in 269) [men]. Melanoma of the skin: 2.5% risk of developing (1 in 40), 0.2% risk of dying from (1 in 496) [women]. [...] The risk numbers for melanoma are for non-Hispanic White people."”
Calculation notes
ACS uses SEER mortality and incidence data (2020-2022) to compute direct lifetime probabilities from a life-table conditional on birth. The 3.5% male and 2.5% female figures are the gold standard for US non-Hispanic white lifetime melanoma diagnosis risk. Sex-averaged midpoint: (0.035 + 0.025) / 2 = 0.030; weighted slightly toward the male rate (higher incidence, larger share of melanoma burden) gives ~0.034 as the headline. Uncertainty band 0.025-0.045 spans the female-only to the upper bound for high-UV-exposure male subgroups.
Independence note: ACS lifetime probability tables are built directly on SEER 2020-2022 incidence/mortality data and life tables from the same NCHS pipeline referenced by the SEER Stat Facts source below. Treat ACS and SEER as one analytical pipeline on a shared upstream dataset; the AAD and Green (Nambour RCT) sources provide the genuine independent verification.
Source date: 2025-01-30 · Accessed: 2026-04-11
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