(The "Gift of Life" is providing these statistics as a reference
point. We cannot guarantee their accuracy.)
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women (after skin cancer).
Source: American Cancer Society
- U. S. women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer.
Source: American Cancer Society
- More than 200,000 U. S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer
in 2006, an estimated 13,150 of those in Texas, the fourth highest
state rate in the nation.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.
Source: American Cancer Society
- An estimated 2,530 Texas women will die from breast cancer this
year, the fourth highest state rate in the United States.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Female breast cancer death rates decreased 2.3% a year between
1990 and 2002, due, in large part, to early detection and
treatment advances.
Source: American Cancer Society
- The five-year survival rate for female breast cancer is 88%.
Source: American Cancer Society
- African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer than Caucasian women.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Breast cancer occurs in women of all ages.
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Other than gender, age is the greatest factor in breast cancer.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Family history (particularly mother, sister, or daughter)
increases breast cancer risk.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Most women who have breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease.
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Women age 40 and over should have annual mammograms and clinical breast exams.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Women age 20-39 should have a clinical breast exam every three years.
Source: American Cancer Society
- If all women age 40 and over had annual mammograms plus clinical breast exams,
breast cancer death rates could drop as much as 30 percent.
Source: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Campaign
- Women age 65 and older are less likely to get mammograms than younger women, even
though breast cancer risk increases with age.
Source: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Campaign
- Women below poverty level are less likely than women at higher incomes
to have had a mammogram within the past two years.
Source: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Campaign
- Approximately one in six men will have prostate cancer during his lifetime.
Source: American Cancer Society
- In 2006 alone, it is predicted that more than 200,000 men will be
diagnosed with prostate cancer, 12,690 of which are projected to occur
in Texas (more than lung cancer diagnoses in the state).
Source: American Cancer Society
- On average, the rate of occurrence of prostate cancer is 60% higher in
African American men than in Caucasian men.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in
men, with more than 27,000 men expected to die of the disease this
year. An estimated 1,480 Texas men will die from prostate cancer
in 2006, the fifth highest state rate in the nation.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths
in males in Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin Counties.
Source: Texas Cancer Data Center
- Notwithstanding these statistics, the five-year survival rate for
men whose prostate cancer is diagnosed in local and regional stages
is close to 100%. Early diagnosis, in addition to treatment
advancements, is said to account for this high survival rate.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Age is the biggest risk factor for prostate cancer. Men age
50 and over face the most risk.
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Men should have a PSA blood test and digital rectal exam
beginning at age 50. Men who are African American or have a family
history of prostate cancer (father, brother, or son had prostate
cancer before age 65) should begin testing at age 45.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Approximately 8,250 U.S. men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2006.
Source: American Cancer Society
- One man in 300 will be diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Source: American Cancer Society
- In 2006, an estimated 370 men will die of testicular cancer.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men.
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Testicular cancer occurs more frequently in adolescents and young adults (up to age 40).
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Men who have had cancer in one testicle have a greater chance of
developing cancer in the remaining testicle than men who have never had testicular cancer.
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- In addition to age and prior cancer history, other testicular cancer
risk factors include family history and cryptorchidism (an undescended testicle).
Source: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Almost 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of lung cancer deaths can be
linked to tobacco usage.
Source: American Cancer Society
- Tobacco usage represents the single most preventable cause of death and
disease, killing over 24,000 Texans each year.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- Tobacco use causes more deaths annually than alcohol, heroin,
cocaine, murder, car accidents, fire and AIDS combined.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- The average adult smoking rate for Jefferson County is 15.6%.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- Locally, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Jefferson County.
Source: Texas Cancer Data Center
- The average smoking rate among African American adults in Jefferson County is
substantially higher than the Jefferson County average as a whole (25%
versus 15.6%), with the incidence of lung cancer in African American
men at 104.1/100,000, a disproportionately high tobacco-related disease burden.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- African American men in Jefferson County bear a disproportionate share
of lung cancer deaths. The rate of lung cancer deaths for African American
men is 110.0 (per 100,000 people) compared to 72.5 for Caucasian men.
Source: Texas Cancer Data Center
- There are over 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke, 11 of which are
known to cause cancer in humans
Source: American Legacy Foundation
- More than 50,000 adults die each year from exposure to secondhand
smoke, the third leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.
Source: American Legacy Foundation
- Almost 500,000 Texas teens alive today will die from tobacco usage.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- Eighty (80%) percent of smokers try their first cigarette before age 18.
Source: American Legacy Foundation
- Every day, almost 5,000 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 smoke for the
first time, and one-third to one-half of those adolescents will eventually
become daily smokers.
Source: American Legacy Foundation
- In Texas, 59.4% of youth (grades 9-12) report they have tried
cigarettes, higher than the national average of 58.4%.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
- Pregnant women and teens face immediate consequences of
tobacco use, such as greater risk for complications during pregnancy, as
well as stillbirth, premature delivery, sudden infant death syndrome, and infant mortality.
Source: University of Texas at Austin
- Ten (10%) percent of all infant deaths could be prevented if women
ceased smoking during pregnancy.
Source: Smoke-Free Families
- Although “quitting smoking is the most important action a pregnant woman
can take to ensure the health of her baby,†only 18% to 25% of women smokers
quit upon pregnancy.
Sources: Smoke-Free Families; Texas Department of State Health Services
- Smoking during pregnancy can lead to low birth weight, the leading
cause of infant deaths. For instance, one out of every 50 Jefferson
County infants born in 2000 weighed less than 3 lbs. 5 ounces, defined
as very low birth weight.
Source: University of Texas at Austin
- Normal fetal brain and nervous system development may be impaired
by a pregnant woman who smokes.
Source: Smoke-Free Families
- In 2002, the highest rate of U. S. smoking during pregnancy (18.2%)
occurred in women who were 18-19 years of age.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- 7.4% of Jefferson County pregnant women smoke, but the goal is to
reduce this rate to 2.1% by 2010.
Source: University of Texas at Austin
- More than 25% of U. S. children age 6 and younger live with a
family member who smokes.
Source: Smoke-Free Families
- Smoking while pregnant combined with infant exposure to secondhand smoke
after birth doubles the chance of sudden infant death syndrome.
Source: American Legacy Foundation
- Infants and young children exposed to secondhand smoke have greater
risk of bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic respiratory symptoms (coughing,
wheezing, and breathlessness), more frequent respiratory infections,
slower lung function development, middle ear infections, and an
increased risk of developing asthma or exacerbating existing asthma.
Sources: American Cancer Society; American Legacy Foundation; National Cancer Institute
- 60% of the U. S. population is eligible to donate blood, but only 5% actually donates.
Source: America’s Blood Centers
- Someone needs a blood transfusion every 2 seconds.
Source: America’s Blood Centers
- One pint of donated blood can save three lives.
Source: America’s Blood Centers
- Blood transfusions save 4.5 million American lives each year.
Source: America’s Blood Centers
- Annually, over 35,000 children and adults are diagnosed with diseases
that could be cured by a marrow or blood cell transplant.
Source: National Marrow Donor Program
- Only 30% of people who need a marrow or blood cell transplant have
a donor match in their family. 70% must search for an unrelated donor.
Source: National Marrow Donor Program
- Within Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin Counties, the most recent and
available data reflect the following: Of adults age 19-64, 24.7% in
Jefferson County, and 21.9% in both Orange and Hardin Counties are uninsured.
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
- People who have low incomes and are uninsured are less likely to receive
cancer screening services and have higher cancer incidence along with lower
survival rates - they suffer from health disparity.
Source: Texas Cancer Council
- Poverty is the number one factor in health disparity, resulting in lack of
access to health care resources.
Source: Texas Cancer Council
- At 25%, Texas holds the highest rate of uninsured persons.
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2005
- Notably, 62.9% of uninsured Texas adults report they have no personal
doctor (the fourth highest rate in the nation) and 45.4% cannot afford to
see a doctor when needed (the seventh highest rate in the U.S.).
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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