Malignancies are the ______ greatest cause of mortality in the United States.

Malignancies are the ______ greatest cause of mortality in the United States.

• A. First
• B. Second
• C. Third
• D. Fourth

Answer: (B)

This question is about where cancer ranks among the leading causes of death in the United States. The leading cause of death is heart disease, and cancers (malignancies) come in right after it, as the second leading cause. That’s why the blank is filled with “second.” Understanding this helps put cancer in context: while advances in treatment have improved outcomes for many cancer types, the overall number of deaths from cancer remains very high, second only to heart disease. It’s not the first because heart disease causes more deaths, and it’s not third or fourth because, in most years, more people die from cancer than from the next highest category (such as chronic lower respiratory diseases or unintentional injuries).

This question is about where cancer ranks among the leading causes of death in the United States. The leading cause of death is heart disease, and cancers (malignancies) come in right after it, as the second leading cause. That’s why the blank is filled with “second.”

Understanding this helps put cancer in context: while advances in treatment have improved outcomes for many cancer types, the overall number of deaths from cancer remains very high, second only to heart disease. It’s not the first because heart disease causes more deaths, and it’s not third or fourth because, in most years, more people die from cancer than from the next highest category (such as chronic lower respiratory diseases or unintentional injuries).