Twenty Years of Cancer Advances Raise U.S. Five-Year Survival to 70%

A 75th American Cancer Society Cancer Statistics report shows the U.S. five-year cancer survival rate has risen to about 70% (7‑in‑10) thanks to earlier detection and new treatments like immune checkpoint therapy and CAR‑T cell therapy. Survival has improved across cancers (breast 92%, melanoma 95%, prostate 98%), with leukemia and non‑Hodgkin lymphoma up ~20% and 18% and pancreatic and liver cancers also rising (to 13% and 22%). Myeloma and lung cancer survival have climbed to 62% and 15–28%, while late-stage survival now averages 35% (up from 17%). The death rate has fallen about 34% since 1991, saving roughly 4.8 million lives by 2023 — achievements driven by diagnosis, screening, and innovative therapies rather than a cure.