Progress Against Cancer: A Snapshot

Four decades ago, the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971 led to major new U.S. investments in cancer research. Since that time, we have seen a dramatic improvement in our biological understanding of cancer and many important advances in our ability to treat and prevent the disease.

As a result, more people are surviving cancer than ever before.

Today, two out of three people live at least five years after a cancer diagnosis, up from roughly one out of two in the 1970s. There are nearly 12 million survivors in the United States alone. Fueled by earlier detection and better treatments, the nation's cancer death rate has dropped 18 percent since the early 1990s, reversing decades of increases.

Highlights of Cancer Progress:

  • Targeted therapies: Highly tailored, more effective treatments have been developed to target the genetics of many cancers, providing better cancer control and fewer side effects.
  • Drug approvals: There are now more than 170 drug indications for cancer, most approved in the last decade.
  • Surgical advances: Today's cancer surgeries are more precise, less disfiguring and produce fewer complications than in the past, without sacrificing effectiveness.
  • Radiation therapy: Advanced technologies allow radiation to be tailored to each patient's tumor type, size and location, improving survival and minimizing the risk of serious side-effects such as lung scarring and heart damage.
  • Multidisciplinary treatment: Many patients now receive carefully-honed combinations of treatments – including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and/or targeted drugs – to extend survival and offer the best chance for cure.
  • Side-effects management: Better ways of managing nausea, pain and other side effects are enabling patients to live better, more fulfilling lives.
  • Major successes: Revolutionary progress against some cancers shows what is possible. Five-year survival rates for breast cancer, testicular cancer and some childhood cancers are now over 90 percent.

Remaining Challenges

Despite the important progress to date, cancer remains one of the world’s most serious health problems. In the United States, approximately 500,000 people still die from cancer every year, and the disease is expected to become the nation's leading killer in the years ahead. Worldwide, the number of new cancer cases is projected to rise from 12.7 million in 2008 to more than 20 million by 2030.

Many forms of cancer remain hard to detect until their advanced stages, when treatment is generally less effective. Others have remained stubbornly resistant to available treatments. In fact, some of the cancers highlighted in the Timeline section of this site have proved to be among the toughest challenges for researchers, and continue to take a significant toll on patients.

Continued investments in cancer research are needed to translate recent scientific breakthroughs into new treatments that can address these remaining gaps. Read more about what is needed in the Blueprint section of this site.

We must also ensure that everyone with cancer has access to important research advances. Today, many Americans lack adequate insurance coverage for cancer care, as the cost of care continues to increase. And while the nation has begun to make progress in addressing glaring racial disparities, these gaps in cancer care and survival remain significant.