In a study conducted by the American Cancer Society (ACS), researchers found that there will be 20 million cancer survivors in the U.S. by 2026, an increase of almost 5 million compared with the number of survivors alive today.
The findings were published online June 2 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The ACS produces a similar report every two years in collaboration with the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
A team led by author Kimberly Miller, an epidemiologist with the ACS, used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries. The group found that more than 15.5 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive on January 1, 2016, and this number is projected to reach more than 20 million by January 1, 2026.
The three most prevalent cancers in 2016 among men are prostate (3.3 million), colorectal (724,690), and melanoma (614,460), according to the authors. Among women, the three most common cancers are breast (3.6 million), uterine (757,190), and colorectal (727,350).
One-third of survivors in the U.S. today were diagnosed less than five years ago, while 56% were diagnosed within the past 10 years. Almost half, or 47%, are age 70 years or older, Miller and colleagues found.
