According to a fact sheet compiled by the Bureau of Health Information of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services in 2004, cancer was listed as the second leading cause of death among Wisconsin women, accounting for 22% of deaths, or 5,252 cases in the year 2002.

Nearly 37% of Wisconsin women are over 55 years of age. These women are at the highest risk age group for developing some form of cancer. 21% of Wisconsin women smoke. According to the 2003-2004 report by the ACS, the lung cancer morality rate was 13% higher for female smokers than non-female smokers. In 2002, 48% of Wisconsin women were classified as being overweight (according to the Body Mass Index calculation). Obesity increases the risk of several forms of cancer including lung and bronchus, breast, colon, uterus, kidney, esophagus, and thyroid.