National Cancer Institute

New Capabilities

Data source for national survival statistics via the SEER program

A cancer diagnosis in the mid-1970s was close to a coin flip: only 49% of patients lived five years. Today, 71% do — the highest rate on record. The American Association for Cancer Research's 2026 progress report credits better screening, improved surgery and radiation, and a wave of drugs that harness the immune system or target specific tumor mutations.

Updated Oct 19

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Lead author of Annual Report to the Nation

Cancer death rates in the United States peaked in 1991 at 215 deaths per 100,000 people and have since fallen 34%, averting an estimated 4.5 million deaths. The decline accelerated from about 1% annually in the 1990s to 2% annually by 2015-2020, driven by plummeting smoking rates, earlier detection through screening, and advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapy.

Updated May 22