Cancer affects many Colorado families, and the burden is not measured by one number alone. Statewide data show differences by cancer type, sex, age, and population group, while registry and screening information helps explain how Colorado tracks and responds to the disease.
On this page
- At-a-glance Colorado cancer statistics
- How Colorado counts cancer cases
- Colorado and U.S. incidence rates
- Incidence by cancer type
- Differences by sex, age, and ethnicity
- Cancer mortality in Colorado
- Screening and caregiver planning
At-a-glance Colorado cancer statistics
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports that 1 in 2 men in Colorado will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. The corresponding estimate for women is 2 in 5. These are lifetime estimates, so they describe the chance of a diagnosis across a person’s life rather than the number of people diagnosed in a particular year.
For a population-level view, Colorado’s all-cancer incidence rate was 396.8 cases per 100,000 people during 2018–2022, according to State Cancer Profiles: Quick Profiles Colorado. The U.S. rate for the same measure and period was 448.6 per 100,000. Incidence describes newly diagnosed cases; it is not the same measure as mortality, which describes deaths.
Colorado’s all-cancer mortality rate was 127.6 deaths per 100,000 people during 2019–2023. The mortality rate was 149.0 per 100,000 for males and 112.3 per 100,000 for females. Among adults ages 65 and older, the all-cancer mortality rate was 779.2 per 100,000 during that period. These mortality figures come from State Cancer Profiles: Quick Profiles Colorado and use a later five-year period than the incidence figures.
The age difference is also visible in incidence data. Colorado’s all-cancer incidence rate for people ages 65 and older was 1,799.1 per 100,000, compared with 413.1 per 100,000 for males and 390.0 per 100,000 for females in the listed demographic profiles. The measures describe different groups and should not be treated as interchangeable totals.
How Colorado counts cancer cases
The Colorado Central Cancer Registry provides complete statewide cancer data through a system that includes Colorado residents who present with cancer, whether or not they were diagnosed inside Colorado. That coverage matters for families who receive care across state lines or at different facilities because the registry is designed around Colorado residents rather than only diagnoses made at Colorado hospitals.
The registry includes all cancers except basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin and cervical carcinoma in situ. It also captures benign and borderline tumors of the central nervous system. Those inclusion rules define what appears in registry-based counts and are important when comparing a registry statistic with a different source that may use another case definition.
The Colorado Central Cancer Registry data overview reports around 25,000 invasive cancer cases captured per year in recent years. New cancer data are typically complete within 18 to 24 months after the end of the calendar year. As a result, the newest complete year is not necessarily the most recent calendar year, and a caregiver should read the measurement period attached to a statistic before comparing it with another figure.
Colorado and U.S. incidence rates
State Cancer Profiles: Quick Profiles Colorado reports the following incidence rates. The comparison uses Colorado and the United States for the cancer categories and measures listed by the source.
| Cancer or measure | Colorado rate | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| All cancers, 2018–2022 | 396.8 | 448.6 |
| Bladder cancer | 17.2 | 18.8 |
| Brain and other nervous system cancer | 6.1 | 6.3 |
| Female breast cancer | 134.0 | 131.3 |
| Female breast in situ | 28.3 | 29.8 |
| Cervical cancer | 5.9 | 7.5 |
| Colorectal cancer | 31.2 | 36.7 |
| Kidney and renal pelvis cancer | 14.8 | 17.5 |
| Lung and bronchus cancer | 37.0 | 52.5 |
| Melanoma | 22.1 | 23.1 |
| Prostate cancer | 102.2 | 116.4 |
Colorado’s listed all-cancer incidence rate is lower than the U.S. rate for 2018–2022. The category-level pattern is not uniform: Colorado’s female breast cancer incidence rate was 134.0 per 100,000, compared with 131.3 per 100,000 nationally, while the Colorado rates for cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, and prostate cancer were lower than their U.S. comparison rates.
The figures are rates per 100,000, not raw case counts. They are useful for comparing populations on a common scale, but they do not indicate an individual person’s probability of developing cancer. A caregiver using these statistics for planning should keep the patient’s diagnosis, age, treatment plan, and clinical advice separate from population-level comparisons.
Incidence by cancer type
The Colorado rate for bladder cancer was 17.2 per 100,000, compared with 18.8 per 100,000 in the United States. Brain and other nervous system cancer was 6.1 per 100,000 in Colorado and 6.3 per 100,000 nationally. These closely aligned rates describe different diagnoses and should not be combined.
For digestive and related cancers, Colorado’s colorectal cancer incidence rate was 31.2 per 100,000 versus 36.7 per 100,000 in the United States. The esophageal cancer rate was 3.9 per 100,000 in Colorado and 4.6 per 100,000 nationally. The liver and bile duct cancer rate was 7.1 per 100,000 in Colorado and 8.6 per 100,000 in the United States, while the pancreas cancer rate was 11.9 per 100,000 versus 13.7 per 100,000.
Colorado’s kidney and renal pelvis cancer incidence rate was 14.8 per 100,000, compared with 17.5 per 100,000 in the United States. The leukemia rate was 12.9 per 100,000 in Colorado and 14.3 per 100,000 nationally. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was 16.3 per 100,000 in Colorado and 18.5 per 100,000 in the United States.
The Colorado lung and bronchus cancer incidence rate was 37.0 per 100,000, compared with 52.5 per 100,000 in the United States. Colorado’s melanoma incidence rate was 22.1 per 100,000 versus 23.1 per 100,000 nationally. These values describe new-case incidence, not survival, treatment success, or mortality.
The prostate cancer incidence rate in Colorado was 102.2 per 100,000, compared with 116.4 per 100,000 in the United States. Female breast cancer incidence was 134.0 per 100,000 in Colorado and 131.3 per 100,000 nationally. The female breast in situ incidence rate was 28.3 per 100,000 in Colorado and 29.8 per 100,000 in the United States. Cervical cancer incidence was 5.9 per 100,000 in Colorado and 7.5 per 100,000 nationally.
Childhood rates are reported separately. For children under age 15, Colorado’s cancer incidence rate was 15.7 per 100,000, compared with 16.6 per 100,000 in the United States. For children under age 20, the Colorado rate was 17.8 per 100,000 versus 18.4 per 100,000 nationally. The two childhood measures use different age ranges and should not be substituted for one another.
Differences by sex, age, and ethnicity
State Cancer Profiles: Quick Profiles Colorado reports an all-cancer incidence rate of 413.1 per 100,000 for Colorado males and 390.0 per 100,000 for Colorado females. The same source reports an incidence rate of 1,799.1 per 100,000 for Colorado residents ages 65 and older. These are descriptive population rates, not individualized risk assessments.
The source also reports an all-cancer incidence rate of 401.8 per 100,000 for Colorado residents identified as White non-Hispanic and 357.0 per 100,000 for Hispanic residents. Race and ethnicity categories in public-health data describe how populations are classified in the reporting system; they do not explain the causes of differences by themselves.
Mortality shows a similar sex distinction but uses a separate period and outcome. During 2019–2023, Colorado’s all-cancer mortality rate was 149.0 per 100,000 for males and 112.3 per 100,000 for females. For residents ages 65 and older, the mortality rate was 779.2 per 100,000. Because these are death rates, they should not be read as incidence rates or as a forecast of an individual outcome.
Cancer mortality in Colorado
Mortality data help describe the number of deaths attributed to cancer in a population. Colorado’s all-cancer mortality rate was 127.6 per 100,000 during 2019–2023, according to State Cancer Profiles: Quick Profiles Colorado. The male rate was 149.0 per 100,000, and the female rate was 112.3 per 100,000.
The rate for people ages 65 and older was 779.2 per 100,000 during 2019–2023. This age-specific figure is substantially different in scale from the all-ages rate because it describes a population with a different age distribution. It should be used as an age-group statistic, not as a statewide rate for every resident.
Incidence and mortality also cover different time periods in the available Colorado profile: incidence is reported for 2018–2022, while mortality is reported for 2019–2023. The periods should remain visible when citing the figures. A change in a rate between sources or periods cannot by itself establish a trend, cause, or treatment effect.
Screening and caregiver planning
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports that Women’s Wellness Connection offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings at more than 100 clinics across Colorado. This is a screening-access figure, not a count of diagnoses or a measure of screening results. Families can use the program information as a starting point when discussing eligibility and next steps with an appropriate health professional.
For caregivers, the registry and rate information can support practical questions: Which period does a statistic cover? Is it incidence or mortality? Does the population match the person being discussed? Does the source include the diagnosis in question? The Colorado Central Cancer Registry’s stated coverage and exclusions are especially relevant when interpreting statewide counts.
The available figures show why context matters. Colorado reports about 25,000 invasive cancer cases captured per year in recent years, while the all-cancer incidence rate for 2018–2022 was 396.8 per 100,000 and the mortality rate for 2019–2023 was 127.6 per 100,000. These measures refer to different concepts, time windows, and reporting structures. Keeping those distinctions clear can help caregivers organize information without treating a population statistic as a personal forecast.