(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, new statistics from the American Cancer Society show real progress in how Americans are surviving cancer. The five-year survival rate has reached 70% for all cancers combined. That’s a new milestone for the US.
This really is great news. That 70 percent means seven out of ten people diagnosed with cancer are living at least five years. Compare that to the mid-1970s, when only about half survived that long after being diagnosed. This is based on diagnoses from 2015 to 2021.
Now, the report also shows that cancer death rates have kept falling through 2023, saving an estimated 4.8 million lives since 1991.
What’s especially impressive is the progress with some of the deadliest cancers. Since the mid-1990s, survival rates for myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, have nearly doubled from 32% to 62%. Lung cancer survival has also nearly doubled from 15% to 28%. Liver cancer survival has more than tripled from 7% to 22%. And, for all cancers combined that have spread, the five-year survival has also nearly doubled from 17% to 35%, with survival rates improving for melanoma and rectal cancer.
We’ve seen major breakthroughs in treatment. For example, immunotherapies help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. Targeted therapies focus on specific genes or proteins that help cancer grow, which means less damage to healthy cells. In addition, the report also said cancer mortality continued to decline thanks to earlier diagnosis and fewer smokers.
As for cancers that are rising, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and cancers of the mouth and pancreas were listed. Among women, liver cancer and melanoma rates are also increasing, along with uterine cancer. Now, the cancer expected to cause the most deaths in 2026 is lung cancer. It’s projected to kill more than colorectal cancer, the second-deadliest, and pancreatic cancer, the third-deadliest, combined. I deal with both in my practice and, in particular, see firsthand how colorectal cancer is affecting people under 50 now.
Unfortunately, more than two million Americans are expected to be diagnosed in 2026 alone, with over 626,000 estimated to die. Those most at risk include Native Americans and Black communities. These differences are linked to differences in access to care, biological factors, and socioeconomic challenges.
So, it’s important to focus on prevention – things like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, getting recommended vaccines and screenings, and, of course, talking with your doctor about your personal risk.
