# If there was no cancer, how many years would life expectancy increase?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-cancer-how-many-years-would-life-expectancy-increase/508210>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 29, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-cancer-how-many-years-would-life-expectancy-increase/508210 "2009-08-29T23:22:06Z")\
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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-cancer-how-many-years-would-life-expectancy-increase/508210/4 "2009-08-30T00:44:06Z")

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OK. Three years is the gain by eliminating cancer. Look at the middle column of table 22 in [this amazing PDF](http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/lifetables/life89_1_4.pdf).

For CV disease elimination, the gain is just over six years. Look at the continuation of Table 22 where CV disease is analysed.

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