Report: Cancer risk for women under 65 higher than men in same age group
For the first time, women under 65 nationwide are more likely to develop cancer — including lung cancer — than men in that same age group, according to new statistics released this week by the American Cancer Society.
And the risk and incidence of cancer among people under 50 is also on the rise, officials said.
The report, Cancer Facts & Figures 2025, outlines trends and disparities in cancer cases across the United States. It points out that while overall cancer mortality continues to decline, “rampant racial inequalities and a growing burden of disease in middle-aged and young adults, especially women,” remain a challenge.
More than 2 million new cancer diagnoses and more than 600,000 related deaths are estimated for this year, the report said.
The estimates for New York include 123,430 new cases, with the top four types being prostate, female breast, lung and colorectal.
“Cancer is the number one leading cause of death for all folks under the age of 85,” said Dr. William L. Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, during a webinar with reporters on Tuesday. “We are seeing some really striking trends, many of which have been developing over time. Some of these trends are really related to gender as well as the age of the patients.”
Dahut said women under the age of 65 now have a greater chance of developing lung cancer, which he called a “transformational change.”
“Deaths from lung cancer are greater than deaths from colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer together,” he said. “Lung cancer is still driven predominantly by tobacco use … women actually begin smoking heavily later on while men peak earlier on … and women are slower to quit.”
Dr. Richard Barakat, physician in charge and executive director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Lake Success, said the increase in cancer among women is the result of “several things coming together.”
“For women, breast, lung and colon cancer account for about half of all new diagnoses,” he said. “It could be due to some of these modifiable risk factors,” such as smoking, alcohol use and obesity.
Women who are in or just past menopause tend to gain weight due to hormonal changes.
As for non-smokers who develop lung cancer, Barakat said it’s an area of active research but scientists still don’t know the reason.
Endometrial cancer, which develops in the lining of the uterus, is the only cancer in which survival rates have dropped, according to the report. It also is a stark example of the racial disparities that exist in health care.
The five-year relative survival rate between 2014 and 2020 was 84% among white women and 63% among Black women.
“Patients who are Black, Hispanic and Native American have significantly worse outcomes for certain cancers,” Barakat said. “Some of it is the genetic basis of cancers but a lot of it is access to care and access to screening … These patients are getting diagnosed at later stages. We have to address the health care disparities that are leading to worse outcomes and more patients dying of these cancers based on race.”
Only 56% of endometrial cancers and 58% of breast cancers are diagnosed at an earlier stage in Black women compared to 71% and 68% in white women, according to the report.
Colorectal cancer continues to climb among people in their 40s. In 2022, it was the leading cause of cancer death among men between the ages of 40 and 49 and the second leading cause for women in that age group.
“Sadly, I do see many younger patients in my clinic and I wish I knew definitively what was causing that,” said Dr. Ryan Sugarman, a gastrointestinal oncologist and medical site director for Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau in Uniondale.
Sugarman said while there is research looking at whether certain foods, including those that are ultra-processed, can increase a person’s risk of colorectal cancer, that connection is still unclear.
“The most evidence right now is that smoking, obesity, and alcohol are the three greatest modifiable risks we know of,” he said.
But some cases defy all the trends. Abby Owenburg, of Smithtown, was just 16 when she learned she had ovarian cancer — an extremely rare condition for a teen.
It was a month after her sweet 16 party when Owenburg underwent a procedure to remove what she thought were ovarian cysts causing extreme back pain.
Instead, doctors found tumors and borderline ovarian cancer, requiring them to remove her ovaries. Now 18 and a school aide who works with autistic children, she wants to share her message about cancer.
“No matter how old or young you are, you could still get any type of cancer, no matter if it’s an adult cancer or a child cancer,” she said. “You could be any age and get the exact same cancer as everyone else.”
For the first time, women under 65 nationwide are more likely to develop cancer — including lung cancer — than men in that same age group, according to new statistics released this week by the American Cancer Society.
And the risk and incidence of cancer among people under 50 is also on the rise, officials said.
The report, Cancer Facts & Figures 2025, outlines trends and disparities in cancer cases across the United States. It points out that while overall cancer mortality continues to decline, “rampant racial inequalities and a growing burden of disease in middle-aged and young adults, especially women,” remain a challenge.
More than 2 million new cancer diagnoses and more than 600,000 related deaths are estimated for this year, the report said.
Leading cause of death
The estimates for New York include 123,430 new cases, with the top four types being prostate, female breast, lung and colorectal.
“Cancer is the number one leading cause of death for all folks under the age of 85,” said Dr. William L. Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, during a webinar with reporters on Tuesday. “We are seeing some really striking trends, many of which have been developing over time. Some of these trends are really related to gender as well as the age of the patients.”
Dahut said women under the age of 65 now have a greater chance of developing lung cancer, which he called a “transformational change.”
“Deaths from lung cancer are greater than deaths from colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer together,” he said. “Lung cancer is still driven predominantly by tobacco use … women actually begin smoking heavily later on while men peak earlier on … and women are slower to quit.”
Risk factors for women
Dr. Richard Barakat, physician in charge and executive director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Lake Success, said the increase in cancer among women is the result of “several things coming together.”
“For women, breast, lung and colon cancer account for about half of all new diagnoses,” he said. “It could be due to some of these modifiable risk factors,” such as smoking, alcohol use and obesity.
Women who are in or just past menopause tend to gain weight due to hormonal changes.
As for non-smokers who develop lung cancer, Barakat said it’s an area of active research but scientists still don’t know the reason.
Endometrial cancer, which develops in the lining of the uterus, is the only cancer in which survival rates have dropped, according to the report. It also is a stark example of the racial disparities that exist in health care.
The five-year relative survival rate between 2014 and 2020 was 84% among white women and 63% among Black women.
Health care disparities
“Patients who are Black, Hispanic and Native American have significantly worse outcomes for certain cancers,” Barakat said. “Some of it is the genetic basis of cancers but a lot of it is access to care and access to screening … These patients are getting diagnosed at later stages. We have to address the health care disparities that are leading to worse outcomes and more patients dying of these cancers based on race.”
Only 56% of endometrial cancers and 58% of breast cancers are diagnosed at an earlier stage in Black women compared to 71% and 68% in white women, according to the report.
Colorectal cancer continues to climb among people in their 40s. In 2022, it was the leading cause of cancer death among men between the ages of 40 and 49 and the second leading cause for women in that age group.
“Sadly, I do see many younger patients in my clinic and I wish I knew definitively what was causing that,” said Dr. Ryan Sugarman, a gastrointestinal oncologist and medical site director for Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau in Uniondale.
Sugarman said while there is research looking at whether certain foods, including those that are ultra-processed, can increase a person’s risk of colorectal cancer, that connection is still unclear.
“The most evidence right now is that smoking, obesity, and alcohol are the three greatest modifiable risks we know of,” he said.
But some cases defy all the trends. Abby Owenburg, of Smithtown, was just 16 when she learned she had ovarian cancer — an extremely rare condition for a teen.
It was a month after her sweet 16 party when Owenburg underwent a procedure to remove what she thought were ovarian cysts causing extreme back pain.
Instead, doctors found tumors and borderline ovarian cancer, requiring them to remove her ovaries. Now 18 and a school aide who works with autistic children, she wants to share her message about cancer.
“No matter how old or young you are, you could still get any type of cancer, no matter if it’s an adult cancer or a child cancer,” she said. “You could be any age and get the exact same cancer as everyone else.”
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