The Cancer Survival rate in the United States has reached a milestone, with seven in ten people diagnosed now living at least five years. This progress reflects advances in treatment, earlier detection, and reduced smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.
The survival benchmark marks a sharp improvement from the 1970s, when about half of cancer patients lived five years or longer. The new figure is based on patients diagnosed from 2015 to 2021 and was published Tuesday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the society’s peer-reviewed journal.
The Cancer Survival rate is often measured at five years, since the risk of many cancers returning declines significantly after that point. Researchers note that advances over the past decade have transformed several once-deadly cancers into manageable chronic conditions.
“It takes decades for research to develop more effective treatments, and now we’re seeing the fruits of those investments,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and the report’s lead author.
According to the report, an estimated 4.8 million cancer deaths were prevented in the United States from 1991 to 2023. The decline is attributed to improved therapies, earlier diagnosis and long-term reductions in smoking rates.
Report Credits Treatment Gains for Steady Rise in Survival Rates
The Cancer Survival rate has improved significantly, rising from about 63% in the mid-1990s to 70% today, reflecting steady progress across multiple cancer types. Advances in scientific understanding of how cancer develops and spreads have enabled more precise treatments.
Siegel said progress has been especially strong in cancers once associated with poor outcomes. Earlier detection and expanded treatment options mean patients are often living longer with fewer complications.
The report estimates more than 2.1 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and more than 626,000 will die from the disease, underscoring the scale of the challenge despite the gains.
Immunotherapy and Targeted Drugs Transform Cancer Care
Siegel highlighted immunotherapy, which helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells, as one of the most significant breakthroughs. She described it as “game changing” for multiple myeloma, where the Cancer Survival rate has risen to 62%, up from 32% in the mid-1990s.
Targeted therapies that focus on specific genes or proteins driving cancer growth have also improved outcomes. These treatments typically spare healthy cells, leading to fewer side effects and allowing patients to stay on therapy longer.
“Staying on treatment longer allows patients to live longer, and these less toxic treatments allow more sequences of therapy,” said Dr. Christopher Flowers, head of cancer medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who was not involved in the report.
Flowers noted that lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, has shown significant progress. The Cancer Survival rate for regional lung cancer has climbed to 37%, compared with just 20% in the mid-1990s.
Experts Warn Progress Threatened by Risk Factors, Funding Cuts
Despite advances, experts caution that preventable risk factors continue to drive new cases. Obesity rates remain high, and cancers linked to excess weight are increasing, including colorectal cancer in people under 50 and breast cancer among women.
“Our country has an epidemic of obesity, and cancers follow that,” said Dr. Clark Gamblin, a gastrointestinal surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah, who was not involved in the report. “So we’re not winning on every front.”
Siegel also expressed concern about disparities in cancer outcomes, particularly among Native American and Black populations, and about reduced access to care following the expiration of Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies.
She warned that cuts to federal cancer research funding could slow progress in improving the Cancer Survival rate. A Democratic analysis of Senate committee data revealed a 31% decline in cancer research grant funding in early 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Disruptions to routine cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic may also lead to more late-stage diagnoses in coming years, Gamblin said.
“The screening for asymptomatic cancer largely stopped during that time period, and I don’t know that we’ve seen the tail of that yet,” he said.
