Conclusion

Abstract

The increasing number of elderly people in the American population means that the number of cancer cases will continue to increase unless incidence declines. Though the incidences of stomach and cervical cancers are still declining, they are more than offset by increases in lung and pancreatic cancers. The fastest growing segment of our population is that comprising people 85 and older. The cancer incidence for this group is 2,308 per 100,000 per year; this means that 2.3% of people older than 84 will be diagnosed as having cancer per year. Thus, the data presented in this book are going to be increasingly important as time goes on, and there is a great need to continue these analyses.