Cancers With The Lowest Mortality Rates

According to the CDC, cancer is the second leading cause of death for adults in the US, followed by heart disease. Cancer accounts for about 600,000 deaths each year in the country and many more journeys of hope and recovery. 

Being diagnosed with any form of cancer can be a difficult thing to live through. If you are diagnosed with some cancers, however, you could be facing much better predicted survival rates than others. Here is a look at the ten cancers with the lowest known mortality rates in the US. 

10. Breast Cancer in situ

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer in situ, it means that the milks ducts of your breast have developed cancerous tissue. The good news is that the cancer has not yet spread to the rest of the breast tissue, and as such, is easier to treat successfully.

According to some statistics, patients with breast cancer in situ have both a five-year survival rate and a ten-year survival rate of 100%.

9. Prostate Cancer

For men in the US, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death. This can be a daunting fact to face. Thankfully, medical advancements in the treatment of prostate cancer have come far. Statistics show that those patients diagnosed with prostate cancer face a five-year survival rate of 98.6% and a ten-year survival rate of 91%, providing much hope for a successful recovery.

8. Thyroid Cancer

Your thyroid sits on your neck, just below your Adam’s apple, and is responsible for producing the hormones you need to regulate many functions in your body, including your heart rate, your metabolism, and your digestion. Some people who are diagnosed with thyroid cancer are surprised because they may have had no noticeable symptoms. 

If you have thyroid cancer, you have a good chance of beating it. This type of cancer has a five-year survival rate of 98.2%, and a ten-year survival rate of 94.6%. 

7. Testicular Cancer

It is estimated that over 9,000 men in the US will face a diagnosis of testicular cancer this year.  This number may come as a surprise, but this form of cancer is pretty common for men in their 30s, as cancers go. 

Rates of testicular cancer have been increasing in the US for a long time, and doctors are not entirely sure why this is. Just under 70% of men with testicular cancer have doctors catch it as Stage 1 cancer, meaning it has been caught early on, and the patient has a very high chance of recovering. 

The five-year survival rate for testicular cancer is 95.1%, and at ten years, men face a 94.6% survival rate.

6. Skin Cancer (excluding basal and squamous)

Skin cancer can come in many forms, and some types have higher recovery rates than others. Melanoma has a five-year survival rate of almost 92%. After ten years, the survival rate dips slightly to 90%.

5. Lip Cancer

If you spend a lot of time in the sun, drink a good amount of alcohol and smoke, you have a higher risk of developing lip cancer. The good news is that, if you do get this diagnosis, you have a ten year survival rate of 89%, so the odds are in your favor.

4. Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most highly publicized types of cancer, with many fundraising campaigns targeted towards gathering additional funds to drive research towards a cure. Sadly, it is estimated that about 42,000 women will die from breast cancer this year, and far more will be diagnosed with the disease. Breast cancer has a five-year survival rate of 89.7% and a ten-year survival rate of 81%. 

3. Appendix Cancer

You are more likely to hear of someone suffering from abdominal pain and needing to have their appendix surgically removed before it ruptures as they have appendicitis, but some patients are also diagnosed with appendix cancer. Impressively, these people face a positive survival rate at both the five year and ten year markers, at 88% and 81% respectively.

2. Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma face a five-year survival rate of 86.4% and a ten year survival rate of 76%. This type of cancer originates in white blood cells called lymphocytes, and is commonly diagnosed between the ages of twenty and forty years old.

1. Leukemia - Chronic Lymphocytic

This cancer is one that targets your blood as well as your bone marrow. It can affect people of any age, but more often it hits seniors. If you have been diagnosed with this type of leukemia statistics show that you have a five-year predicted survival rate of 83.2% and a ten-year survival rate of 69%. 

Cancer is a treatable disease in many cases, and new research is on-going in the fight to cure it.