The National Institutes of Health estimate overall annual costs for cancer at $180 billion. Treatment of breast, lung, and prostate cancers account for over half of the direct medical costs and also account for about half of the 1,268,000 new cancer diagnoses expected in 2001. In 2000 about 552,000 Americans are expected to die of cancer-more than 1,500 people a day, making cancer the second leading cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease.

The probability of developing cancer increases significantly with age and, according to the National Cancer Institute, people over the age of 65 are ten times more likely to develop cancer than those under 65. The age 65 and over group, comprised of approximately 33.6 million people or 13% of the total U.S. population, is one of the fastest growing segments in the population and is expected to double by the year 2030.