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Did You Know? Video Series from the National Cancer Institute—
Update on Cancer Survival in the United States.
Did you know that cancer survival rates can vary based on
race, ethnicity, and even where you live?
The good news is that survival rates for the most common
cancers overall have been improving since 1975.
5-year relative survival for the 20 most common cancer types
combined increased from 50% for cases diagnosed between
1975 and 1977 to 66% for cancers from 2006-2012.
This means that after adjusting for other causes of death,
out of every 100 people who were diagnosed with these cancers,
66 had not died from their cancer
in the five years since diagnosis.
Since 1975, 5-year relative survival has improved
for 18 of the 20 most common cancers.
However, there has been no improvement for
cervical or uterine cancer.
Among the 20 most common cancers, 5-year survival is
highest for melanoma and cancers of the prostate,
thyroid, and female breast.
5-year survival is lowest for cancers of the pancreas, liver,
lung, esophagus, stomach, and brain.
However, survival for each of these cancers has improved
greatly since the 1970s.
For some of these cancers, survival has increased
even for patients with distant stage disease,
when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
For all cancers combined and for many cancer types,
including female breast, differences in survival that
existed in 1975 between whites and blacks are still evident
in the more recent time period.
Differences in how soon patients were able to receive and
complete treatment may be key reasons for unequal survival.
Survival can also vary depending on location.
People who live in several southern U.S. states,
such as Alabama and Mississippi, had lower survival
for many common cancer types than people in
northeastern states like Connecticut and New Hampshire.
This may be due to differences in race, age, socioeconomic
status, access to and quality of cancer care, or other factors.
Researchers point to improvements in screening and
treatment as the biggest reasons for the increase in
overall cancer survival.
Better survival has been achieved through:
Mammograms to detect breast cancer and improved treatments,
including hormonal therapy.
Colonoscopies and other types of screening for colorectal cancer.
Researchers agree that breakthroughs in cancer
therapies have improved survival for some types of cancer.
The discovery of new medications for leukemia and
non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the 1990s led to increased survival
for these cancers.
Survival for childhood cancers has also improved
since the 1970s, thanks to advances in chemotherapy.
New developments in immunotherapy and precision
medicine are expected to improve cancer survival in
the U.S. even further.
Researchers anticipate that treatment advances and new tests
to identify the best options based on individual needs
will improve the lives of cancer patients
and reduce cancer death rates.
Cancer prevention is action taken to lower the chance of
developing cancer.
Prevention includes avoiding behaviors and things in the
environment that are known to cause cancer.
For example, vaccination can prevent cancers caused by
certain viruses.
Along with making sure you’re vaccinated, you can reduce your
chance of developing cancer by avoiding tobacco.
Researchers say that the decreasing rates of smoking in
the U.S. have contributed to the decline in cancer death rates.
Avoiding tobacco and maintaining a healthy weight
are both important behaviors to reduce your risk.
Prevention starts with being informed.
Find out what you can do to lower your cancer risk,
even if you’ve already had cancer before.
To learn more about cancer survivorship,
go to cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ocs
or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
For more information on survival rates, go to the Annual Report
to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, at seer.cancer.gov.
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