Unmet need · computed index

Research Gap Index

How a cancer's share of deaths compares with its share of registered research activity — active interventional trials (ClinicalTrials.gov) and publications of the last five years (PubMed) — within one burden scope. It measures where registered activity is thin relative to mortality; it does not measure the quality, funding or difficulty of research, and it inherits every limit of the burden source.

Computedci-research-gap-components-v1ci-trial-gap-ratio-v1ci-research-gap-ratio-v1Methodology Trial Gap Ratio ranking Research Gap Ratio ranking

Burden is currently United States only (CDC WONDER and U.S. Cancer Statistics): global estimates (IARC / GLOBOCAN) remain under license review, so no world scope exists yet. Shares and ratios are relative to the eligible top-level cancers of the scope, not to all cancers.

USA · 2024Scopeboth sexes · all ages · top-level cancers
35Eligible cancersof 36 with a mortality observation · deaths ≥ 100
546,737Σ deathscdc-wonder · 2024 · eligible set
19,872Σ active trialsClinicalTrials.gov · cancer + NCIt descendants
580,388Σ publications (5 y)PubMed · query-based per entity

Data updated 16 hours agoSource updated unknowncomponents ci-research-gap-components-v1 · sums are over the eligible set only

Burden vs literature

Annual deaths vs publications of the last five years

Each bubble is one eligible top-level cancer; bubble area is proportional to its active interventional trials. The dashed line is the scope's overall intensity (1,062 publications per 1,000 deaths): cancers below it have a positive Research Gap Ratio — fewer publications than their share of deaths would suggest — and cancers above it a negative one.

Research Gap Ratio ranking →

Burden vs clinical research

Annual deaths vs active interventional trials

Dashed line: 36.3 active trials per 1,000 deaths (Trial Gap Ratio = 0). Below the line: positive Trial Gap Ratio.

Trial Gap Ratio ranking →

Components

Deaths, activity, shares and gap ratios per cancer

Click a column header to sort (the order is kept in the URL). Ineligible cancers are listed last with the reason. Shares are the cancer's fraction of the eligible set's total; ratios are log₂(death share ÷ activity share): 0 = proportional, +1 = twice the death share, −1 = half.

CSV (with attribution)

cdc-wonder clinicaltrials pubmedComputed36 top-level cancers with a 2024 mortality observation · 35 eligible

Cancer	Deaths 2024	Death share	Active trials	Trial share	Publications 5 y	Publication share	Trial gap ratio	Research gap ratio ▼

Formulas

How each column is computed

Death share: deaths / Σ deaths (eligible set)
Trial share: active_trials / Σ active_trials (eligible set)
Publication share: publications_5y / Σ publications_5y (eligible set)
Trial Gap Ratio: log2( (deaths / Σ deaths) / (active_trials / Σ active_trials) ) over eligible top-level cancers (deaths ≥ 100, active_trials ≥ 1)ci-trial-gap-ratio-v1
Research Gap Ratio: log2( (deaths / Σ deaths) / (publications_5y / Σ publications_5y) ) over eligible top-level cancers (deaths ≥ 100, publications_5y ≥ 1)ci-research-gap-ratio-v1
Active trials per 1,000 annual deaths: active_trials / (mortality_count / 1000) (same geography, year, sex, source family; deaths ≥ 100)ci-trials-per-deaths-v1
Publications (5 y) per 1,000 annual deaths: publications_5y / (mortality_count / 1000) (same geography, year, sex, source family; deaths ≥ 100)ci-pubs-per-deaths-v1
Eligibility: deaths ≥ 100 in the scope; a ratio is undefined (—) when the cancer has no trial / no publication.
Components: ci-research-gap-components-v1

Full methodology · percentile-based indexes: Trial Gap Index, Research Gap Index.

Malignant Uterine Corpus Neoplasm#20 / #1	8,6082024 cdc-wonder	1.6%	411	2.1%	105	0%	-0.39	+6.44	47.7	12.2	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004 publications5y CI-SOURCE-00000005 ratioEligibility trialGapRatio true researchGapRatio true literatureCountId 493 countersComputedAt 2026-09-29 02:00:20.557824-04 publicationsSource entity_counters.publication_count_5y mortalityEstimateType observed incidenceObservationId null mortalityObservationId 10324 mortalitySiteDefinition C54 mortalityOtherObservationIds [] component 192633 · ci-research-gap-components-v1
Malignant Central Nervous System Neoplasm#18 / #2	18,5232024 cdc-wonder	3.4%	823	4.1%	298	0.1%	-0.29	+6.04	44.4	16.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Kidney Neoplasm#12 / #3	15,2152024 cdc-wonder	2.8%	453	2.3%	3,700	0.6%	+0.29	+2.13	29.8	243.2	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Salivary Gland Neoplasm#21 / #4	1,1732024 cdc-wonder	0.2%	63	0.3%	474	0.1%	-0.56	+1.39	53.7	404.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Colon Neoplasm#1 / #5	40,8012024 cdc-wonder	7.5%	225	1.1%	18,406	3.2%	+2.72	+1.23	5.5	451.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Laryngeal Neoplasm#4 / #6	4,0952024 cdc-wonder	0.7%	66	0.3%	2,031	0.3%	+1.17	+1.1	16.1	496	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Pancreatic Neoplasm#5 / #7	51,3272024 cdc-wonder	9.4%	904	4.5%	25,767	4.4%	+1.05	+1.08	17.6	502	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Gallbladder Neoplasm#2 / #8	4,4022024 cdc-wonder	0.8%	32	0.2%	2,222	0.4%	+2.32	+1.07	7.3	504.8	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Cutaneous Melanoma#3 / #9	8,6712024 cdc-wonder	1.6%	78	0.4%	4,407	0.8%	+2.01	+1.06	9	508.2	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Skin Carcinoma#8 / #10	5,4622024 cdc-wonder	1%	127	0.6%	2,868	0.5%	+0.64	+1.02	23.3	525.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Vulvar Neoplasm#14 / #11	1,5552024 cdc-wonder	0.3%	54	0.3%	870	0.1%	+0.07	+0.92	34.7	559.5	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Liver Neoplasm#11 / #12	30,5322024 cdc-wonder	5.6%	906	4.6%	17,939	3.1%	+0.29	+0.85	29.7	587.5	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Esophageal Neoplasm#13 / #13	16,2742024 cdc-wonder	3%	518	2.6%	10,921	1.9%	+0.19	+0.66	31.8	671.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Lung Neoplasm#7 / #14	128,7622024 cdc-wonder	23.6%	2,644	13.3%	93,034	16%	+0.82	+0.56	20.5	722.5	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Oropharyngeal Neoplasm#17 / #15	3,2862024 cdc-wonder	0.6%	143	0.7%	2,550	0.4%	-0.26	+0.45	43.5	776	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Anal Neoplasm#16 / #16	1,6512024 cdc-wonder	0.3%	68	0.3%	1,291	0.2%	-0.18	+0.44	41.2	782	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Multiple Myeloma#25 / #17	11,9672024 cdc-wonder	2.2%	814	4.1%	10,244	1.8%	-0.9	+0.31	68	856	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Vaginal Neoplasm#26 / #18	4352024 cdc-wonder	0.1%	31	0.2%	373	0.1%	-0.97	+0.31	71.3	857.5	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma#32 / #19	19,8822024 cdc-wonder	3.6%	2,168	10.9%	17,190	3%	-1.59	+0.3	109	864.6	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Rectal Neoplasm#10 / #20	13,4462024 cdc-wonder	2.5%	386	1.9%	12,506	2.2%	+0.34	+0.19	28.7	930.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Mesothelioma#19 / #21	2,1142024 cdc-wonder	0.4%	96	0.5%	2,145	0.4%	-0.32	+0.07	45.4	1,014.7	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Bladder Neoplasm#6 / #22	17,3962024 cdc-wonder	3.2%	346	1.7%	18,250	3.1%	+0.87	+0.02	19.9	1,049.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Hypopharyngeal Neoplasm#31 / #23	4982024 cdc-wonder	0.1%	53	0.3%	581	0.1%	-1.55	-0.14	106.4	1,166.7	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Leukemia#27 / #24	23,7402024 cdc-wonder	4.3%	1,769	8.9%	31,893	5.5%	-1.04	-0.34	74.5	1,343.4	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004 publications5y
Malignant Nasopharyngeal Neoplasm#35 / #25	6642024 cdc-wonder	0.1%	261	1.3%	952	0.2%	-3.43	-0.43	393.1	1,433.7	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Prostate Neoplasm#15 / #26	34,8152024 cdc-wonder	6.4%	1,375	6.9%	52,116	9%	-0.12	-0.5	39.5	1,496.9	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Lip and Oral Cavity Neoplasm#9 / #27	5,4242024 cdc-wonder	1%	149	0.7%	8,195	1.4%	+0.4	-0.51	27.5	1,510.9	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Ovarian Neoplasm#22 / #28	12,6542024 cdc-wonder	2.3%	684	3.4%	25,793	4.4%	-0.57	-0.94	54.1	2,038.3	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Hodgkin Lymphoma#34 / #29	9092024 cdc-wonder	0.2%	179	0.9%	2,178	0.4%	-2.44	-1.17	196.9	2,396	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Penile Neoplasm#30 / #30	4152024 cdc-wonder	0.1%	43	0.2%	1,025	0.2%	-1.51	-1.22	103.6	2,469.9	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Breast Neoplasm#24 / #31	43,8972024 cdc-wonder	8%	2,627	13.2%	133,010	22.9%	-0.72	-1.51	59.8	3,030	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Gastric Neoplasm#23 / #32	11,2462024 cdc-wonder	2.1%	652	3.3%	34,783	6%	-0.67	-1.54	58	3,092.9	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Testicular Neoplasm#29 / #33	4622024 cdc-wonder	0.1%	43	0.2%	1,806	0.3%	-1.36	-1.88	93.1	3,909.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Thyroid Gland Neoplasm#28 / #34	2,2292024 cdc-wonder	0.4%	176	0.9%	13,792	2.4%	-1.12	-2.54	79	6,187.5	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Malignant Cervical Neoplasm#33 / #35	4,2072024 cdc-wonder	0.8%	505	2.5%	26,673	4.6%	-1.72	-2.58	120	6,340.1	eligible	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004
Kaposi Sarcoma	562024 cdc-wonder	—	18	—	871	—	—	—	321.4	15,553.6	deaths below threshold	inputs sums deaths 546737 eligible 35 activeTrials 19872 publications5y 580388 thresholds minDeaths 100 minActivity 1 activitySources activeTrials CI-SOURCE-00000004 publications5y CI-SOURCE-00000005

Annual deaths vs publications of the last five years

Annual deaths vs active interventional trials

Deaths, activity, shares and gap ratios per cancer

How each column is computed

What this index is not