US Cancer Survival Hits 70%, Up From 50% in 1970s

The fight against cancer just hit a turning point that would have seemed impossible a generation ago.

In findings released this week, the American Cancer Society revealed that 70% of cancer patients now survive five years or more after diagnosis. That's up from just 50% in the mid-1970s, representing millions of lives saved and families kept whole.

The numbers get even more remarkable when you look at specific cancers that were once considered death sentences. Survival rates for myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, jumped from 32% to 62%. Liver cancer survival more than tripled, rising from 7% to 22%. Lung cancer survival nearly doubled, climbing from 15% to 28%.

Dr. Leonard Alan Kalman of Miami Cancer Institute explains why these gains are accelerating. "If you can identify the mutation and find a specific treatment, a targeted drug, we're curing more people or putting people in remission, and they're living longer," he says.

The report credits three major breakthroughs for averting 4.8 million deaths since 1991. Fewer people smoking means fewer cancers starting in the first place. Earlier detection catches tumors when they're most treatable. And improved treatments, especially targeted therapies based on genetic research, are turning formerly fatal diagnoses into manageable chronic conditions.

Rebecca Siegel, the report's lead author, calls it a "stunning victory" built on decades of cancer research. Scientists have unlocked how genetics drive cancer growth, giving doctors precision tools to stop the disease at its source rather than just treating symptoms.

Why This Inspires

This story matters because it proves that sustained scientific effort pays off in real lives saved. Every percentage point increase represents thousands of parents who made it to their kids' graduations, grandparents who met new grandchildren, and friends who stuck around for one more adventure.

The progress also shows that some of our most feared diseases aren't permanent enemies. With enough research funding, clinical trials, and medical innovation, we can transform what kills us into what we live with.

Cancer still takes too many people too soon, but the trend lines are moving in the right direction. For the first time in human history, most people diagnosed with cancer will be here five years later to tell their story.