The article presents incidence, mortality, and survival statistics for cancer in the United States for the year 1996. The authors use data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and US population data from the Bureau of the Census to estimate the number of new cancer cases and deaths. They apply incidence rates from 1979-1992 to US Census projections to estimate annual cancer cases from 1979 through 1992, and then project the number of new cases for 1996. Adjustments are made for selected cancer sites with recent variations in case numbers. Mortality data are calculated by fitting reported cancer deaths from 1979-1992 to a quadratic function to estimate expected deaths for 1996. State-specific estimates are calculated using the same model with actual reported deaths. Age-standardized mortality rates are used to compare cancer risks across different age groups. The article also presents estimated probabilities of developing invasive cancers at certain ages, calculated by applying age-specific incidence and mortality rates from the SEER program to a hypothetical group of 10 million persons. Five-year relative survival rates are used to monitor progress in early detection and treatment, and are presented by site, race, and stage at diagnosis for cases diagnosed between 1986-1991. International mortality rates are calculated from data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and age-adjusted to the WHO standard world population. The article acknowledges limitations in the data, including the use of older data and the exclusion of certain cancer types, and notes potential underreporting of minority cancer deaths due to coding issues on death certificates.The article presents incidence, mortality, and survival statistics for cancer in the United States for the year 1996. The authors use data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and US population data from the Bureau of the Census to estimate the number of new cancer cases and deaths. They apply incidence rates from 1979-1992 to US Census projections to estimate annual cancer cases from 1979 through 1992, and then project the number of new cases for 1996. Adjustments are made for selected cancer sites with recent variations in case numbers. Mortality data are calculated by fitting reported cancer deaths from 1979-1992 to a quadratic function to estimate expected deaths for 1996. State-specific estimates are calculated using the same model with actual reported deaths. Age-standardized mortality rates are used to compare cancer risks across different age groups. The article also presents estimated probabilities of developing invasive cancers at certain ages, calculated by applying age-specific incidence and mortality rates from the SEER program to a hypothetical group of 10 million persons. Five-year relative survival rates are used to monitor progress in early detection and treatment, and are presented by site, race, and stage at diagnosis for cases diagnosed between 1986-1991. International mortality rates are calculated from data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and age-adjusted to the WHO standard world population. The article acknowledges limitations in the data, including the use of older data and the exclusion of certain cancer types, and notes potential underreporting of minority cancer deaths due to coding issues on death certificates.