The United States has reached a milestone in cancer survival, with 70% of individuals surviving five years or more after diagnosis. This data, covering diagnoses from 2015 to 2021, represents a significant increase from rates in the 1970s (50%) and mid-1990s (63%). The American Cancer Society's annual report, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, provided these findings.
Survival Benchmarks and Progress
Five years is a standard measure for cancer survival, as the risk of recurrence for certain cancers decreases significantly after this period. Rebecca Siegel, the American Cancer Society's senior scientific director of surveillance research and lead author of the report, stated that improved treatment options over the last decade have transformed many cancers from terminal diagnoses into chronic conditions. She attributed these advancements to decades of research investment. An estimated 4.8 million cancer deaths were prevented between 1991 and 2023, largely due to better treatments, earlier detection, and reduced smoking rates.
Treatment Innovations
Scientists have developed a deeper understanding of cancer development and spread, enabling the engineering of the immune system to inhibit cancer growth. Immunotherapies, which help the immune system identify and attack cancer cells, have been particularly impactful. For example, the five-year survival rate for myeloma, a blood cancer, increased from 32% to 62% since the mid-1990s. Targeted therapies, which focus on specific genes or proteins that contribute to cancer cell growth, represent another major advance, offering fewer side effects and less damage to healthy cells. Dr. Christopher Flowers, head of cancer medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, noted that these less toxic treatments allow patients to remain on therapy longer, improving outcomes for cancers such as lung cancer. The five-year survival rate for regional lung cancer has risen from 20% to 37% since the mid-1990s.
Persistent Challenges
Despite progress, challenges remain. Dr. Clark Gamblin, a gastrointestinal surgeon, highlighted the national obesity epidemic as a contributing factor to rising cancer rates, specifically mentioning increasing colorectal cancer rates in individuals under 50 and overall rising breast cancer rates among women. Obesity is a known risk factor for both. The American Cancer Society projects over 626,000 cancer deaths and more than 2.1 million new diagnoses in the U.S. this year.
Concerns exist regarding future progress due to potential cuts in cancer research funding. An analysis by Senate Democrats indicated a 31% decline in cancer research grant funding for the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Additionally, disparities in cancer burden persist among communities of color, particularly Native American and Black populations, who are also significantly affected by the expiration of Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, which could limit access to crucial cancer treatments. Disruptions to cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic may also lead to an increase in late-stage diagnoses, with the full impact yet to be observed.