Cancer

In MN, between 4 and 5 people out of 10 will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Tobacco is the single leading cause of cancer, and 30% of cancer-related deaths are from tobacco use. For more information on how to reduce cancer risk, refer to MDH.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in MN among men and women. When all cancers are combined into one group, cancer is the 7th most frequent chronic disease. Breast cancer accounts for 31.2% of the top ten cancers that occurred among MN women in 2021. In general, lung and bronchus cancer constitute the leading cause of cancer deaths, with the second highest rate of incidence but the number one death rate.

Blue chart with rate of cancer types in MN women (2021)
Source: CDC
Bar graph of cases of breast/lung/bronchus cancer in MN women by race/ethnicity (2021)
Source: CDC

Cancer Mortality

For women in Minnesota, breast cancer has the highest incidence rate, while lung and bronchus cancer has the highest mortality rate. For American Indian and Alaskan Native women, lung and bronchus cancer have the highest incidence and mortality rate in MN. Colon and rectum cancer has the 3rd highest incidence rate for Black women compared to the 4th highest for the general Minnesota population.

Table of cancer type death among MN women (2021)
Source: CDC
Bar graph of breast cancer deaths by race in MN women (2021)
Source: CDC
Bar graph of deaths from lung/bronchus cancer in MN women by race (2021)
Source: CDC

Extra sources: The CDC and MDH break down data by cancer type, sex, and age.