Overview

• The number of U.S. residents living with a history of cancer rose to 18.6 million as of January 1, 2025, with projections suggesting it will exceed 22 million by 2035.
• About half of survivors received their diagnosis within the past decade and nearly 80 percent are aged 60 years or older, underscoring the impact of an aging survivor base.
• Among male survivors, prostate cancer (3.55 million), skin melanoma (816,580) and colorectal cancer (729,550) are most prevalent, while breast (4.3 million), uterine corpus (945,540) and thyroid cancer (859,890) lead among female survivors.
• Black patients with early-stage lung cancer underwent surgery at a rate of 47 percent versus 52 percent for White patients, and only 39 percent of Black patients with early-stage rectal cancer received surgery compared to 64 percent of White patients.
• Survivors face long-term side effects, fear of recurrence and financial toxicity, prompting calls for expanded equitable access to high-quality treatment and comprehensive survivorship resources.