Cancer Survival Reaches a Historic High in the United States
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
The United States has reached a historic watershed moment in oncology: seven in 10 people diagnosed with cancer now survive five years or more. According to the latest annual report from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the five-year relative survival rate has hit 70%, a significant climb from just 50% in the 1970s and 63% in the mid-1990s.
Experts attribute this "stunning victory" to decades of investment in research, which has yielded more effective treatments, earlier detection methods, and a notable reduction in smoking. Dr. William Dahut, ACS’s chief scientific officer, noted that these advancements have allowed many to live with metastatic cancer for years, effectively turning once-fatal diagnoses into manageable chronic diseases.
The sources highlight immunotherapy and targeted therapy as "game-changing" advancements. Immunotherapies help the immune system attack cancer cells, while targeted therapies focus on specific proteins to minimize damage to healthy cells. These innovations have drastically improved outcomes for some of the most fatal cancers:
Myeloma: Survival rates jumped from 32% in the mid-1990s to 62% today.
Liver Cancer: Survival more than tripled, rising from 7% to 22%.
Lung Cancer: The survival rate for regional lung cancer has nearly doubled to 37%.
Despite these gains, the report warns that "we’re not winning on every front". While mortality is down, incidence rates are rising for common cancers, including breast, prostate, and endometrial cancers. Additionally, colorectal cancer is increasingly diagnosed in adults under age 50, a trend potentially linked to the national obesity epidemic.
The sources also express grave concern regarding federal funding cuts. An analysis revealed a 31% decline in National Cancer Institute grant funding in early 2025. Rebecca Siegel, the report's lead author, warned that these cuts, alongside the expiration of insurance subsidies, could halt progress and reduce access to life-saving drugs.
Significant gaps in survival remain for people of color, specifically Black and Native American communities, who face higher rates of diagnosis and death. These disparities are driven by a combination of biological factors and unequal access to medical care. To maintain the current momentum, the ACS emphasizes that the nation must ensure equitable access to screenings and continued robust funding for research.
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Keywords: Cancer survival
Cancer survival
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