Overview
- The cancer death rate has fallen 34% since its 1991 peak, preventing an estimated 4.8 million deaths through 2023.
- Relative five-year survival for distant-stage cancers doubled to 35% for diagnoses from 2015 to 2021.
- Notable gains include myeloma survival rising to 62%, liver cancer to 22%, and improved outcomes for lung cancer including 10% survival in metastatic disease.
- Disparities persist, with American Indian and Alaska Native people facing the highest overall incidence and mortality and Black people experiencing lower survival for nearly every cancer type.
- ACS leaders caution that research funding cuts, threats to insurance access, and pandemic-related diagnostic delays could slow improvements, while lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death.