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Care access facts

Cancer care access and transportation statistics.

Clear, current figures on cancer care in the United States, plus a documented local example of how transportation support can help patients reach oncology appointments.

Last updated October 30, 2026. Every figure includes its source and data date.

Why these numbers matter

Care does not begin and end at the clinic door.

For people facing cancer, the work of getting to care can bring practical pressure alongside an already difficult diagnosis. Purpose Greater Than Pressure exists to help individuals and families access essential care and transportation when traditional assistance falls short. This page brings together carefully attributed facts that make that need easier to understand and cite.

National figures describe the scale of cancer care. The transportation figures below come from one Cook County Health program and are labeled as a local example, not a national average.

The figures

Seven citable facts about cancer care access.

1,941,540

new cancer cases

were reported in the United States in 2023, the latest year for which national incidence data are available.

CDC, Cancer Data and Statistics ↗2023 data, accessed October 2026

42% to 19%

missed appointment rate

was the reported change for the subset of Cook County Health oncology patients who received rides through the pilot. It shows one local program outcome, not a universal result.

American Cancer Society, Health Equity Impact Report ↗2021 to 2022 program comparison, report published 2023

A documented local example

Transportation support can make a practical difference.

The American Cancer Society documented a transportation pilot at Cook County Health, a large public safety-net hospital in Illinois. The report describes 1,045 rides ordered for oncology patients with identified transportation needs between June and December 2022.

For the subset of patients who received rides, the report says the missed appointment rate fell from 42% to 19%. That result belongs to this specific program and setting. It is useful because it shows why a reliable ride can be more than a convenience when treatment depends on being able to arrive.

Read the American Cancer Society report ↗

Method and sources

Built to be useful, careful, and easy to cite.

This page uses primary public-health and nonprofit sources. National data and one local transportation-program example are kept separate so their meaning stays clear. Data are refreshed when the underlying sources publish materially newer figures.

  1. CDC: Cancer Data and Statistics ↗

    Official federal cancer statistics. Used for the 2023 new-case count and the 2024 cancer-death count.

  2. CDC: U.S. Cancer Statistics technical notes ↗

    Released June 2026. Used for the January 2023 estimate of people living with a cancer history and the 2023 direct medical-cost estimate.

  3. American Cancer Society: Health Equity Impact Report ↗

    Published 2023. Used for the Cook County Health oncology transportation-pilot figures, which are presented as a local example.

Cite this page

Purpose Greater Than Pressure. “Cancer Care Access and Transportation Statistics.” Updated October 30, 2026. https://purposegreaterthanpressure.com/cancer-care-access-statistics.

Purpose is practical support, too.

Learn how Purpose Greater Than Pressure is building toward access to essential care and transportation.

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