US cancer survival hits all-time high as 70% now beat the disease

The United States has achieved a historic milestone in cancer treatment: for the first time, seven in 10 people diagnosed with cancer now survive at least five years.

This 70% five-year survival rate represents a dramatic improvement from the mid-1970s, when only half of cancer patients reached this benchmark. The achievement reflects decades of scientific investment in prevention, detection, and treatment innovations that have transformed many cancers from death sentences into manageable chronic conditions.

Decades of progress culminate in historic achievement

According to the American Cancer Society's 2026 Cancer Statistics report, the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined reached 70% for patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2021.

"Seven in 10 people now survive their cancer five years or more, up from only half in the mid-70s," said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report. The mid-1990s saw a 63% survival rate, marking steady progress over the past three decades.

The gains extend beyond overall survival statistics. Cancer mortality rates have declined consistently through 2023, averting 4.8 million deaths since 1991. Age-adjusted death rates have fallen an average of 1.5% annually over the past decade, reflecting improvements in both prevention and treatment.

The current cancer survivor population stands at 18.6 million Americans, representing approximately 5.4% of the U.S. population, and this number is projected to exceed 22 million by 2035.

Treatment breakthroughs drive survival improvements

The survival gains stem largely from revolutionary advances in cancer treatment, particularly immunotherapy and targeted therapies that have emerged over the past two decades.

Immunotherapy works by helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells, while targeted therapies zero in on specific genes or proteins that help cancers grow, causing less damage to healthy cells than traditional chemotherapy.

The most dramatic improvements have occurred in cancers historically considered among the deadliest.

Myeloma, a blood cancer that affects bone marrow, has seen its five-year survival rate nearly double from 32% in the mid-1990s to 62% today. Liver cancer survival more than tripled during the same period, jumping from 7% to 22%. Even metastatic cancers, where the disease has spread to other parts of the body, have shown remarkable progress.

Five-year survival for distant-stage cancer has doubled overall since the mid-1990s, from 17% to 35%. Metastatic rectal cancer survival increased from 8% to 18%, while distant-stage lung cancer survival climbed from 2% to 10%.

These advances allow patients to remain on treatment longer with fewer debilitating side effects. According to Dr. Christopher Flowers, head of cancer medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the less toxic nature of targeted therapies and immunotherapies enables more sequences of therapy, directly contributing to extended survival.

For lung cancer, which remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, survival has improved dramatically for patients with advanced disease. Five-year survival for regional-stage lung cancer has increased from 20% to 37%, while distant-stage survival has risen from 2% to 10% since the mid-1990s.

Persistent disparities shadow the progress

Despite overall improvements, significant racial and ethnic disparities persist in cancer outcomes.

Native American people experience the highest cancer mortality rates, with death rates approximately two to three times those of white Americans for kidney, liver, stomach, and cervical cancers. For colorectal cancer specifically, Alaska Natives face the highest incidence and mortality rates globally, particularly among young people.

Black Americans continue to face worse outcomes than white Americans for nearly every cancer type. They are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and have lower stage-specific survival rates even when diagnosed at the same stage.

Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, and the disparity doubles for women under 50. Black men have prostate cancer death rates more than twice those of any other racial or ethnic group. Cancer survival is lower among Black people than white people across nearly all cancer types, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of recent cancer data.

Researchers attribute these disparities primarily to differences in access to high-quality cancer care, from prevention through diagnosis and treatment. Socioeconomic factors, including health insurance coverage, also play significant roles. Nearly two-thirds of the 25 million uninsured Americans are people of color, and research consistently demonstrates that health coverage directly impacts medical care and health outcomes. Geographic disparities compound racial inequities, with rural populations facing additional barriers to accessing cancer treatment facilities and specialized care.

Conclusion

The achievement of a 70% five-year survival rate represents a watershed moment in American cancer care, validating decades of research investment and clinical innovation. The development of immunotherapies, targeted treatments, and improved detection methods has fundamentally altered the cancer landscape, enabling patients to live longer with better quality of life.

However, this progress remains unevenly distributed across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines, with Native American and Black communities continuing to bear disproportionate cancer burdens. Addressing these persistent disparities through improved access to prevention, screening, and treatment will be essential to ensuring that all Americans benefit equally from advances in cancer care.

As the cancer survivor population approaches 19 million over the next decade, the focus must expand beyond extending survival to encompass comprehensive survivorship care that addresses the physical, emotional, and financial challenges faced by patients and their families.