The United States has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in the fight against cancer. According to the latest annual report from the American Cancer Society, 7 in 10 people diagnosed with cancer now survive for at least five years longer, a significant improvement compared to previous decades.
Before the 21st century, only half of cancer patients reached the five-year survival mark. But by the mid-1990s, that rate had risen to almost 63%. The latest figure, covering diagnoses from 2015 to 2021, represents the culmination of decades of research, innovation, and public health efforts and the drive to progress in the fight against cancer.
Why Five-Year Survival Matters
The five-year survival rate evidently marks a common point where if the cancer has not returned (recurred), the risk of future recurrence becomes very low, often indicating a long-term cure of cancer, a once-impossible goal.
Breakthroughs in Cancer Treatment
Over the years, cancer has increasingly been referred to as a chronic illness rather than an immediate death sentence. Rebecca Siegel, lead author of the report and senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, acknowledges this shift to decades of research in action to understand and develop these increasingly effective treatments.
Major advances include:
- Immunotherapy: Such treatments boost the body’s natural defenses to detect and destroy cancer cells, ultimately helping the immune system attack aggressive cancer cells. For example, the five-year survival rate for myeloma, a blood cancer, has risen from 32% in the mid-1990s to 62% today, thanks to these therapies.
- Targeted Therapy: Certain drugs, such as small-molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, focus on specific genes or proteins involved in cancer growth, minimizing damage to healthy cells and reducing side effects. These treatments have allowed patients to stay on therapy longer and try more lines of treatment.
Improved survival rates are especially evident in lung cancer. The five-year survival rate for regional lung cancer has nearly doubled, from 20% in the mid-1990s to 37% now.
Prevention and Early Detection
The report estimates that 4.8 million cancer deaths have been prevented since 1991, thanks to better treatments, earlier detection, and a decline in smoking rates. However, public health experts warn that more can be done to address major risk factors like obesity, which is linked to rising rates of colorectal and breast cancer.
Challenges Ahead
Despite these gains, the American Cancer Society predicts over 626,000 cancer deaths and more than 2.1 million new cases in the U.S. this year. Further progress may be hampered by recent cuts to federal cancer research funding, disparities in access to care—especially among people of color—and disruptions to cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Looking Forward
The fight against cancer continues on multiple fronts: scientific innovation, public policy, and health equity. As Rebecca Siegel notes, the improvements in survival rates are “the fruits of decades of investment.” Sustained support for research, prevention, and equitable access to care will be essential to ensure that progress continues for all Americans.