Silver Book Fact
Based on preliminary data, cancer (malignant neoplasms) was the second leading cause of death in the United States in 2004, causing 550,270 deaths – ~23% of all deaths.
Minino A, Heron M, Smith B. Deaths: Preliminary data for 2004. Hyattsville, MD: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Health Statistics; 2004. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/prelimdeaths04/preliminarydeaths04.htm