5-year survival rate has increased for all cancers, according to American Cancer Society

In the United States, cancer is the second-leading cause of death overall and the leading cause among people younger than 85.

Each year, the American Cancer Society compiles the most recent data on the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the U.S.

According to their latest report, more than 2 million new cases and more than 600,000 cancer deaths are projected to occur in 2026.

Their projected numbers are calculated based on cancer registry data and the underlying cause of death reported on death certificates.

Currently prostate cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer account for almost half of all cases in men.

In women, breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer account for 50% of all new diagnoses.

The overall cancer mortality rates have continued to decline since the 1990s.

Patients with thyroid, prostate and melanoma cancers have the highest survival rates, with over 90% five-year survival.

N. Lynn Henry, Professor of Internal Medicine and member of the Rogel Cancer Center, answers questions about how healthy lifestyle choices, early screening and clinical trials have helped improve cancer survival rates.

How can someone reduce their risk of cancer?

Henry: There are several lifestyle choices that people can make to reduce their risk of cancer, including not smoking, limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a normal body weight.

Studies over the past few decades have shown that people who smoke are more likely to be diagnosed with at least 12 types of cancer, including lung, head and neck, esophageal, colon and bladder cancer.

For people who currently smoke, quitting has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Alcohol is also associated with at least seven types of cancer including breast, colorectal, esophageal and some types of head and neck cancer.

Therefore, it’s recommended that people either discontinue or minimize the use of alcohol.

Studies have also found that excess body weight has been associated with more than 10 types of cancer, including cancers of the uterus, gallbladder, esophagus, liver, and kidney. Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight and eating a well-balanced diet that is low in processed foods decrease the risk of developing cancer.

Current exercise recommendations include at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes or more of vigorous intensity activity each week.

Moderate activity includes brisk walking, biking on level ground and playing softball, while vigorous activity includes jogging, jumping rope, swimming laps, and biking faster than 10 miles per hour.

For those who have already been diagnosed with cancer, these same measures can help reduce their chance of recurrence.

Not smoking or drinking and reducing obesity have been shown to help people live longer, even after a cancer diagnosis.

Participating in exercise was also recently shown to decrease the risk of recurrence of colon cancer.

In the CHALLENGE clinical trial of patients with advanced colon cancer, those who participated in an exercise program for three years after their cancer diagnosis lived longer than the patients who did not.

Why is cancer screening important?

Henry: The purpose of any screening test is to find tumors early, so they can be removed before they spread extensively through the body.

Screening methods exist for various cancer types, including breast, cervix, prostate, lung and colorectal cancer.

Cervical cancer screening can be done in multiple ways.

Women can either see their gynecologist for testing or do self-sampling at home.

Colorectal cancer screening generally starts at age 45 for people without a family history of colon cancer.

A colonoscopy is not always required; people can collect a stool sample at home and mail it in to the clinic or lab.

For lung cancer screening, testing is done with a low-dose CT scan, which is relatively quick.

People who smoke or who have recently quit smoking should talk with their doctor about lung cancer screening.

Earlier detection through screening makes tumors easier to treat and less likely to progress to metastatic disease.

How have clinical trials helped reduce mortality rates?

Henry: All the anti-cancer drugs that we now have were identified through clinical trials.

There are different phases of clinical trials.

During early phase trials we try to figure out how safe the drug is, in the next phase we learn more about how well the drug works against a specific type of cancer and in the third phase we compare the new drugs to older ones.

This process, along with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration, has been the cornerstone for all new drugs that have been approved in the past few decades.

There are many more effective treatments against cancer available today compared to 20 years ago, which has contributed to declining mortality rates.

The only option for treating many cancers used to be standard chemotherapy.

Now we have immunotherapy, which uses the person's immune system to fight tumors.

This type of medication has helped us make tremendous progress in treating cancers like melanoma, lung and bladder cancer.

New targeted therapies are also available that can be used either alone or in combination with hormonal therapies or chemotherapies to treat many cancers.

Every year, multiple new drugs are approved by the FDA or are found to work against additional cancers, contributing to an improvement in survival.

What challenges remain in cancer research and treatment?

Henry: Although seven out of 10 patients survive, we still have a long way to go. We have very few effective treatment options for many cancers, including glioblastoma, pancreatic, lung, liver and biliary cancer.

In addition, there are some cancers where survival is not yet increasing, especially uterine cancer.

It's important to continue pursuing research to try to find new treatments to lower the chance of dying from cancer.

We also need to ensure that eligible patients are getting cancer screening and helping them figure out the next steps if they are diagnosed with cancer.

We always encourage our patients to consider participating in clinical trials whether it's related to cancer risk reduction, cancer treatment or recovery.

Learn more about clinical trials at University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center.

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