For the first time, the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined reached 70%, according to the latest report from the American Cancer Society.
Survival gains are especially notable for people diagnosed with more fatal cancers, such as myeloma (from 32% to 62%), liver cancer (7% to 22%), and lung cancer (15% to 28%), the report stated.
The report projects approximately 2,114,850 new cancer diagnoses (5,800 each day) will occur in 2026, with 626,140 deaths from the disease. It's predicted that lung cancer will be the deadliest in 2026, more than colorectal and pancreatic cancer combined, which are the second and third-ranking, respectively.
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The report said that although the cancer mortality rate has continued to decline through 2023 — dropping by a total of 34% since its peak in 1991 — it continues to increase for many common cancers, including breast, prostate, liver (in women), melanoma (in women), oral cavity, pancreas and uterine corpus (endometrial).
"This stunning victory is largely the result of decades of cancer research that provided clinicians with the tools to treat the disease more effectively, turning many cancers from a death sentence into a chronic disease," said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director and surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report.
Despite advancements, there are still racial disparities in cancer mortality, the report stated, due to "lack of access to high-quality cancer care and socioeconomics."
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The death rate for Native American people with cancer is two times that of White people for certain cancers, including kidney, liver, stomach and uterine cervix.
Officials with the American Cancer Society said even with the survival improvements, they have concerns about future progress.
"For decades, the federal government has been the largest funder of cancer research, which has translated to longer lives for people with even the most fatal cancers," said Shane Jacobson, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, in a statement. "But now, threats to cancer research funding and significant impact to access to health insurance could reverse this progress and stall future breakthroughs. We can’t stop now. There is still much work to be done."
