Cancer Survivor Numbers Projected to Grow

According to research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and as reported by Cancer Therapy Advisor (CTA), the number of cancer survivors in the U.S. has risen in recent years and is projected to increase more in years to come, reaching as high as 26 million by the year 2040. The estimates are based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The researchers estimated that as of January 1, 2022, the number of cancer survivors in the U.S. stood at about 18 million. The research team noted that this is a nearly 4-fold increase in cancer survivors since the mid-1970s. CTA added that of the 18 million cancer survivors, 70% had survived at least 5 years from diagnosis, 48% had survived at least 10 years, 19% had survived at least 20 years, and 11% had survived at least 25 years. The cancer types with the highest prevalence of survivors were breast cancer (4 million survivors), prostate cancer (3.5 million), melanoma (1.5 million), colorectal cancer (1.4 million) and thyroid cancer (1.1 million). Most survivors (78%) were 60 years of age or older. “The increasing number of survivors and the increasing proportion of the population that has a history of a diagnosis of cancer will continue to exert pressure on the U.S. healthcare system,” the researchers wrote. “As the population of long-term survivors continues to grow, so will the need to design healthcare delivery to meet the needs of this population. A strong research and practice agenda, informed by survivorship science, is needed to continue to optimize survivorship care and patient outcomes.”