More Americans are surviving cancer — even the deadliest ones

By Allyson Chiu

The Washington Post

More Americans diagnosed with cancer are now surviving the disease — marking a positive trend that experts say reflects the effectiveness of early prevention and detection strategies, and advancements in treatment and care.

New findings from the American Cancer Society’s annual report released Jan. 13 show for the first time that the five-year survival rate for all cancers has reached 70%, with the most notable survival gains occurring among people diagnosed with more fatal cancers such as myeloma (a blood cancer), liver cancer and lung cancer.

“Seven in 10 people now survive their cancer five years or more, up from only half in the mid-70s,” Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at ACS and lead author of the report, said in a news release. “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.”

Living longer

The cancer mortality rate has continued to decline through 2023, averting 4.8 million deaths since 1991, according to the report. In 2026, the United States is expected to see upward of 2 million new cancer cases and more than 626,000 deaths related to the disease. Cancer incidence and mortality generally appears to be higher among men than women, the report found.

Improvements in survival...