Overview
- The 2026 ACS report projects about 2,114,850 new cancer cases and 626,140 deaths in the United States this year.
- For all distant-stage cancers combined, five-year survival doubled to 35% for diagnoses from 2015 to 2021, reflecting advances in treatment.
- Lung cancer remains the top cause of cancer death and is projected to claim more lives in 2026 than colorectal and pancreatic cancers combined.
- Progress has been uneven, with American Indian and Alaska Native people facing the highest overall incidence and mortality and Black men experiencing the highest sex-specific rates.
- ACS warns that research funding shortfalls, threats to insurance access, and pandemic-related screening delays could undermine future gains.