Cancer survival rate hits milestone, but funding cuts could undo gains

More people have survived cancer in recent years, and the progress is revealed in new data from the American Cancer Society.

For the first time, the five-year survival rate for cancer has reached 70%, according to findings published Tuesday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Researchers examined patients who were diagnosed in the United States between 2015 and 2021. In the 1970s, only about half of all cancer patients survived five years after their diagnosis.

Researchers also found improved survival rates in cancers with higher mortality.

Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance, prevention and health services research for the American Cancer Society, tells Chief Healthcare Executive® that the milestone is worthy of recognition.

“Today, it is seven out of 10 who survive five years,” says Jemal, the senior author of the report. “It is a big, big achievement that we celebrate.”

Jemal points to improvement in early detection and treatment.

“We have improvements in treatment across almost all cancer types,” Jemal says.

But Jemal and other healthcare leaders worry about the prospect of federal funding cuts slowing progress in cancer research.

The National Institutes of Health, the leading source of federal funding for medical research, terminated hundreds of research grants to universities and hospitals last year, although some grants have been restored after legal challenges.

President Trump’s administration proposed a 40% cut in the NIH budget for 2026, reducing the agency’s spending by $18 billion. Lawmakers in Congress have pushed for more money, and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $48.7 billion budget for the NIH, which represents a $400 million increase in 2026. Still, Congress and the White House have yet to finalize spending for key federal agencies.

Jemal says reductions in federal research funding could impede progress in cancer care and treatment that are giving patients a better chance of survival.

“The improvement that we see in medication, the improvement that we see in prevention, it is a product of research, and that requires money,” Jemal says.

Doctors and healthcare leaders warn that the pending cuts to Medicaid programs in the coming years could also lead to more complications and deaths from cancer.

More than 10 million Americans are projected to lose Medicaid coverage over the next decade. Healthcare leaders say if patients don’t have coverage to see doctors or get regular check-ups, they may end up in hospitals with cancers and other diseases at more advanced stages.

Sally Werner, CEO of the Cancer Support Community, says that the Medicaid cuts could lead to more Americans missing the opportunity for earlier intervention and treatment of cancer.

“We're going to be hyper-focused on Medicaid coverage and what that means for cancer patients,” Werner tells Chief Healthcare Executive®.

“That's a big concern of ours, later diagnoses,” Werner says. “And also those that are already carrying a diagnosis. How do they keep their Medicaid?”

Werner also says she’s worried about the impact of people losing coverage with the expiration of tax credits supporting the Affordable Care Act. The tax credits expired Dec. 31, and millions could lose coverage due to higher premiums, healthcare leaders say.

Werner also pointed to the need for robust federal funding for cancer research, particularly in light of the new data on improved survival rates.

“We really saw a decrease in mortality in cancer care, and we know that's because of research that has been conducted over the last several decades,” Werner says. “And so we don't want to see that research stop. We want it to continue. We want it to grow.”

Individuals with cancers that have higher mortality rates are also faring better. The five-year survival rate for myeloma increased from 32% in the 1990s to 62% today. For those with liver cancer, the five-year survival rate rose from 7% to 22% in that span.

But the data also shows more people are being diagnosed with cancer at younger ages. More than a quarter of cancer diagnoses (28%) occurred in people 50 to 64 years old, and 12% of those diagnosed are younger than 60.

The new data also showed higher mortality rates among certain groups, including Native Americans and Black Americans. Even Black Americans with higher incomes are still seeing higher mortality rates, the report notes.

“Cancer survival is lower among Black people than White people for nearly every cancer type, even after controlling for stage at diagnosis and socioeconomic status,” the report states.