You and your friends are in the majority. Osteoarthritis (OA) is two and a half times more common than heart disease and six times more common than cancer. The incidence of both OA and cancer increase with age.
Since Americans are living longer with more active lifestyles, OA is expected to affect many more adults in the years ahead. An active lifestyle may be preventative for cancer. The odds are that cases of OA will continue to outnumber cancer in the near future.