Descriptive patterns of cancer among American women are presented utilizing national mortality statistics and data from several National Cancer Institute incidence surveys, the Connecticut Tumor Registry, the End Results Group Program, and the current Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. From 1950 to 1980, deaths from cancer among women have become more numerous, but the overall age-adjusted mortality rates have not increased. Among white females, incidence and mortality rates for cancers of the stomach and cervix uteri have declined substantially during this time period, whereas lung cancer rates have increased dramatically. Improvements in survival rates are noteworthy for several types of cancer, including the leukemias, Hodgkin's disease, and the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. There are substantial differences between the races and sexes in incidence rates by cancer site, and some differences in survival rates are also apparent. In the future, the numbers of women diagnosed with cancer will continue to increase as the larger cohorts of younger women age and as other causes of death continue to decline, with consequent increases in longevity. However, with the exception of lung cancer, large increases in rates for the common forms of cancer among women are not apparent.