Cancer and Women

Every year, cancer claims the lives of more than a quarter of a million women in America. You can lower your cancer risk in several ways.

What You Can Do

Don’t smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke. More women in the United States die from lung cancer than any other kind of cancer, and cigarette smoking causes most cases.
Get recommended screening tests for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. Screening tests are the best way to find these cancers early, when they are easier to treat.
Protect your skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer, are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun and tanning devices.
Stay active and keep a healthy weight. Adopting a lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity can help lower your risk for several kinds of cancer.

The most common kinds of cancer among women in the U.S. are skin cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and uterine cancer.
Cancer survivors largely consist of people who are 65 years of age or older and women. Of the 11.7 million people living with cancer in 2007, 6.3 million were women, and the largest group of cancer survivors were breast cancer survivors (22%).
People who have cancer often live at home and get help from informal caregivers—people who help them without being paid. The majority of caregivers are women.
Some HPV-associated cancers can be prevented. The HPV vaccine is available for girls and women who are 9 to 26 years old. It protects against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical cancer.
Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women.