New data published by Siegel et al in the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Cancer Statistics, 2026 report show that, for the first time, the 5-year survival rate for all cancers combined has reached 70% for individuals diagnosed during 2015 to 2021 in the United States. In addition, those diagnosed with high-mortality cancers and advanced diagnoses experienced the largest gains in survival. Still, in the United States, cancer remains the second-leading cause of death overall and the leading cause of death among those younger than age 85. This year, approximately 2,114,850 individuals will be diagnosed with cancer, and 626,140 will die from the disease.
Study Methodology and Results
Researchers analyzed data on the number of new cancer cases and deaths in the United States collected from central cancer registries (incidence through 2022) and the National Center for Health Statistics (mortality through 2023).
Per their analysis, the cancer mortality rate continued to decline through 2023, dropping by 34% and averting 4.8 million deaths since 1991, largely due to reductions in smoking, earlier detection, and improved treatment. These interventions are also responsible for the increase in the 5-year survival rate, which reached a milestone of 70% for diagnoses occurring during 2015 to 2021 overall, 69% for regional-stage disease, and 35% for distant-stage disease, up from 63%, 54%, and 17%, respectively, in the mid-1990s.
Individuals diagnosed with high-mortality cancers and advanced diagnoses experienced the largest gains, including increases from 32% to 62% for multiple myeloma; 7% to 22% for liver cancer; 16% to 35% for metastatic melanoma; 8% to 18% for metastatic rectal cancer; 20% to 37% for regional lung cancer; and 2% to 10% for metastatic lung cancer. Despite this improvement, lung cancer will cause more deaths in 2026—approximately 125,000—than the second-ranking (colorectal cancer) and third-ranking (pancreatic cancer) malignancies combined.
Other highlights from Cancer Statistics, 2026 include:
- Native American individuals have the highest rates of cancer mortality, with death rates that are about twice those of White individuals for kidney, liver, stomach, and uterine cancers. They also have the highest lung cancer morality compared with White individuals, who rank second, and Black individuals, who rank third.
- Although the cancer mortality rate has continued to decline through 2023, incidence continues to increase for many common cancers, including breast, prostate, liver (female), melanoma (female), oral cavity, pancreatic, and uterine corpus.
- Cancer is the second most common cause of death among children aged 1 to 14 years (after accidents), and the fourth most common cause of death among adolescents aged 15 to 19.
- Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, accounting for 28% of the cases, followed closely by central nervous system tumors, accounting for 27%, one-third of which are benign or borderline malignant brain tumors.
How Federal Reductions in Cancer Research Will Halt Progress Against Cancer
Despite the progress made in reductions in cancer-related deaths and improvements in 5-year overall survival, continued progress is threatened, warned the researchers, by proposed federal cuts to cancer research and health insurance.
“Although decades of scientific investment have translated into longer lives for most individuals diagnosed with cancer, pending federal cuts to health insurance and cancer research will inevitably reduce access to life-saving drugs and halt progress at a time when incidence is rising for many common cancers,” concluded the study authors.
In a statement, Shane Jacobson, Chief Executive Officer of the ACS and the ACS Cancer Action Network, added his concern: “For decades, the federal government has been the largest funder of cancer research, which has translated to longer lives for people with even the most fatal cancers. But now, threats to cancer research funding and significant impact to access to health insurance could reverse this progress and stall future breakthroughs. We can’t stop now. There is still much work to be done.”
DISCLOSURE: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
