U.S. cancer survivors grow to 18.6M predicted to reach 22M by 2035
That number is projected to exceed 22 million by 2035, and is up from 18 million survivors in 2022, the authors found.
Friday's peer-reviewed study, published in the cancer society's CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, also found that about half of those 18.6 million survivors were diagnosed within the past 10 years, and that nearly 4r out of 5 of them were 60 years old and older.
The latest figures continue a pattern in which the numbers of U.S. cancer survivors are increasing each year, partly as a result of the growth and aging of the population, but also due to improvements in early detection practices and breakthroughs in cancer treatments.
As in its previous estimates, the cancer society collaborated with the National Cancer Institute to tap data from a number of sources, including cancer registries kept by several federal agencies and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, as well as information from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Using that data, cancer society researchers determined that among men, the three most prevalent cancers are prostate (3.55 million survivors), melanoma of the skin (816,580), and colorectal (729,550).
Among women, the most common cancers were breast (4.3 million survivors), uterine corpus (945,540) and thyroid (859,890).
"The increase in cancer survivors in the United States is a testament to the tremendous progress made by cancer research efforts across multiple collaborative stakeholders resulting in improvements in prevention, risk reduction, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, said Dr. Crystal S. Denlinger, CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of leading cancer centers.
"While this milestone should be celebrated, it is important to remember that cancer survivors have unique needs during and after treatment, and disparities still exist in the receipt of these life-saving advances," Denlinger said.
"Everyone should have access to high-quality cancer care as outlined in the latest evidence-based, expert consensus-driven guidelines. Through persistent research, broadened awareness, and unwavering access to guideline-concordant care, everyone has the potential to benefit from ongoing advances in cancer care and prevention."
Though the numbers of cancer survivors continue to increase, racial and socioeconomic disparities in treatment also remain readily apparent, the study found. For instance, Black people with Stage I or Stage II lung cancer were less likely to undergo surgery than their White counterparts by a 47% to 52% margin.
Dr. Nikita Sandeep Wagle, principal scientist within the Surveillance & Health Equity Science department of the cancer society and the study's lead author, told UPI she was surprised at "the extent to which treatment receipt differs in Black people compared to White people for some [other] cancers.
"For example, only 39% of Black people with early-stage rectal cancer received surgery, compared to 64% of their White counterparts," she said. "Addressing disparities requires improving access to high-quality cancer early-detection, treatment and survivorship resources by expanding access to affordable insurance coverage through public and private programs."
Meanwhile, perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the study relates to breast cancer. There, the statistics showed that the number of female breast cancer survivors is projected to jump from today's 4.3 million to 5.3 million by 2035 -- the largest expected survivor growth among the top 10 most prevalent cancers.
In 2022, the ACS estimated slightly more than 4 million women were living in the United States with a history of invasive breast cancer. That included more than 150,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer, three-fourth of whom originally were diagnosed with stage I-III disease.
One-third of female breast cancer survivors in 2022 were younger than 65, reflecting the relatively young median age at diagnosis of 63 years.
The projected increase to 5.3 million female breast cancer survivors and those living with breast cancer by 2035 "is a testament to progress in early detection and treatment of breast cancer -- but it's only part of the story," according to Susan G. Komen, the U.S.-based breast cancer advocacy organization.
While lauding the rising number of survivors, the group noted in a statement to UPI that every day this year, "we still lose about 117 people in the United States to this disease, and nearly 43,000 are expected to die from breast cancer in 2025 alone.
"Recent alarming trends also show breast cancer diagnoses are rising among younger women, with the disease being the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 20 to 49," they said.
Those survivors must also face complex challenges, ranging from loss of fertility and early menopause to fatigue, fear of recurrence and financial toxicity, "especially for those living with metastatic breast cancer.
"While survival rates have improved overall, significant disparities remain -- especially for Black women, who continue to face worse outcomes, as the report highlights," Susan G. Komen said. "Continued investment in research, equal access to care, and comprehensive support are essential to ensure everyone -- not just some -- has the chance to survive and thrive."
And, as the number of cancer survivors steadily rises, so does the need to keep them healthy, Wagle said.
"It is surprising that there are now as many as 18.6 million cancer survivors, meaning more people need health care access to monitor for cancer recurrence, new cancers and side effects of cancer treatment," she cautioned.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Boston Globe
19 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Kids still aren't going to school. Here are six big ideas to get absenteeism under control.
At that rate of decline, it will take another 21 years for the state's students to show up at their pre-pandemic rate. Related : Advertisement Is there any hope to turn things around? The Globe went looking for big ideas that might work. Here's what we found: Pay students for attendance Boston School Committee member Brandon Cardet-Hernandez has called for Think that's extreme? This approach has been The Detroit program, which officials recently decided to extend, caps out at $1,000 per student per year. That may sound exorbitant, but Massachusetts spends more than $21,000 per student per year; spending a fraction to make sure those students actually attend school could be worth it. Advertisement Cardet-Hernandez said it was missed opportunity to not use the state's federal pandemic relief funds on paying for attendance. Doing so would be an 'upfront investment' in the future of the region's students and economy. 'When we have young people who are years behind in literacy and math skills, is there an opportunity for us to think differently about our values and to create a financial incentive to grow those skills?' he asked. Related : Make kids get some sleep Tim Daly, chief executive officer of the education nonprofit EdNavigator, pointed to Sleep is a hard problem for schools to address — it happens when children are at home — but Daly had one idea for how schools could help: disabling school-issued devices. 'Sometimes when kids stay up too late, they're using the devices to 'do homework' but really they're using them to stream,' Daly said. 'Not only would [disabling them] prevent them that, [schools] can message to parents, when that goes off, it's time to go to sleep.' Some school-issued devices have restrictions on non-academic uses, but often those only apply on district internet, and committed children can get around them. Even if the devices are being used for homework, staying up late working on homework is bad for sleep. Parents can also restrict screentime, whether schools step in or not. 'The most important thing we need to do is help kids with their nighttime routines,' Daly said. Some districts have also moved high school start times later to better align them with adolescent sleep cycles. Advertisement Focus on the neediest students Lawrence Public Schools, a high-poverty district that serves large numbers of immigrants, has made major gains from its peak in 2022, when the majority of students were chronically absent. Its overall rate is higher than the state, but rapid progress has continued. As of March of this year, absenteeism was down to 21 percent, a 4.5 point improvement from 2024, and many groups — low income students, English learners, and Black students — have lower absenteeism rates than peers statewide. Ralph Carrero, the superintendent, said the district's Homeless/Newcomer Coalition was the key intervention. The coalition brings together more than a dozen of the city's social service agencies and nonprofits — housing, healthcare, transportation, food, and more. The members meet monthly to individually discuss every homeless or new-to-the-country immigrant student in the district and make sure their needs are being met, in and outside of school. 'It's not a formula, it's not a secret, it's paying attention,' Carrero said. The district has about 500 homeless students each year and many recent immigrants, so focusing on meeting their needs has a big impact on attendance. Get pediatricians involved Mary Beth Miotto, a pediatrician and former president of the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, encourages her colleagues to consider school attendance a 'vital sign,' just like blood pressure. Because pediatricians are not part of the school system, Miotto has found she can have positive conversations with parents without unintentionally invoking the specter of truancy. Advertisement Absenteeism is highest among high-needs populations, including low income students, who may not have primary care physicians, so Miotto said everyone in the medical profession, including ER and urgent care doctors, should be asking about school attendance. 'We can pour all the money into schools and teachers, but if kids aren't showing up, it's not helping,' she said. Restructure schools around relationships Hedy Chang, founder and director of the nonprofit Attendance Works, praised Providence's Nathanael Greene Middle School, which cut its absenteeism rate from more than 50 percent in 2021-22 to 30 percent in 2023-24, about equal to its pre-pandemic level. Attendance experts swear by relationship-building, as students have to believe people will miss them when they're gone, but just deciding to build relationships isn't necessarily enough. The school's principal, W. Jackson Reilly, 'reorganized the school so relationship-building was built into how it operated,' Chang said. Students are divided into cohorts, with a specified team of teachers sticking to one of them, Chang said. Each cohort also had classrooms close to each other. Related : This meant that the students were face-to-face with the same group of classmates and teachers, every day, rather than bouncing around to far-flung parts of the school. Districts need to design schools so relationships don't depend on 'happenstance,' Chang said. Robert Balfanz, the director of the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, suggested bringing in outside mentors, such as local college students, for a similar reason. 'If you're a school with 200 or 300 chronically absent kids, you're going to have to form some partnerships,' he said. 'Get more adults in the school.' Advertisement Even tutoring, which can be hamstrung by high absenteeism, In some cases, incentivize through consequences Absenteeism has risen in every type of district since the pandemic, and in some places, 'negative nudges' could help, Balfanz said. For example, he said, many high schoolers play hooky regularly but still turn in the assignments posted online by their teachers so their grades aren't negatively affected. Some of those students might attend regularly if their grades were on the line for attendance or if the homework wasn't online. 'The benefits of being in school are more than just the assignments,' Balfanz noted. 'If I'm on a four-day-a-week plan and think I can skate by, a more negative nudge might get me to make that fifth day.' But he warned the approach has risks: if a student is avoiding school due to bullying, for example, punitive options might instead drive them further away. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at


UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Trump delivers immigration message on Scotland visit
1 of 3 | President Donald Trump played golf in Scotland Saturday morning, teeing it up at his Trump Turnberry golf resort ahead of meetings with European lawmakers and delivering a message after leaving the White House on Friday (pictured). Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo July 26 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump played golf in Scotland Saturday morning, teeing it up at his Trump Turnberry golf resort ahead of meetings with European lawmakers and delivering a message. "I say two things to Europe: Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds," Trump told reporters after arriving on Friday. "On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe any more," he said. Trump is scheduled to discuss trade during a Monday meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney. He is also expected to meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during the four-day visit to Scotland. The delegation will start arriving Saturday and include European trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic, as well as von der Leyen, who Trump referred to as a "highly respected woman." U.S. officials and their EU counterparts are continuing attempts to reach a deal before an Aug. 1 deadline that will see 30% reciprocal tariffs take effect on all EU member states. The United States and Britain reached a deal in June on tariffs between the two countries, although Trump and Starmer were expected to iron out details during their meeting. Protestors demonstrated against Trump's visit in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen Saturday morning, including outside the Trump-owned golf course. He will also visit another of his privately-owned courses, Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire, during the trip. "We are really excited, across this whole weekend, there's so many campaign groups turning out in the streets, taking in action in their communities or at rallies like this. It's kind of like a carnival of resistance," demonstrator Anita Bhadani told the BBC outside of the U.S. Consulate General's office in Edinburgh Saturday, after helping to organize the Stop Trump Coalition. The coalition said its purpose is to "defeat the politics of Trumpism, and to promote an alternative, democratic vision of the world based on peace, social justice and international cooperation."


NBC News
4 hours ago
- NBC News
ICE targets Los Angeles homeless shelter
LOS ANGELES — Immigration officials have been repeatedly spotted outside a Hollywood homeless shelter since May, leading staff to accompany residents from war-torn countries to work, errands and court. An executive at the shelter that serves people ages 18 to 24 said she saw two Venezuelan men handcuffed and arrested by ICE agents after they returned to the shelter from work. 'There was no conversation,' said the employee, Lailanie, who asked that her last name not be used because she feared retribution from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said about half a dozen immigration officers went up to the residents 'and put their hands behind their backs right away.' Homeless shelters appear to be another target in the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown, which has resulted in nearly 3,000 arrests in the Los Angeles area. They now join Home Depots, 7-Elevens and cannabis farms as locations where the federal government is carrying out its mass deportation effort. In addition to the Hollywood shelter, service providers have reported seeing immigration enforcement at shelters in North Hollywood and San Diego, according to local media. Immigration officials did not respond to an email asking if homeless shelters are being targeted as part of enforcement efforts. With more than than 72,300 unhoused people, Los Angeles County is the epicenter of the nation's homelessness crisis. How many of them are immigrants is unknown because the federally mandated annual count does not include citizenship questions. The encounter at the Hollywood shelter took place a few weeks before President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the region in response to large-scale protests against his deportation efforts. Service providers in Los Angeles said the stepped-up enforcement effort has made their work more difficult because their clients are consumed by fears of deportation. Donald Whitehead Jr., executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said the aggressive operation 'puts a target' on the backs of homeless immigrants. 'It villainizes them,' he said. At another shelter, The People Concern in downtown Los Angeles, fewer clients are stopping by to use showers and other public facilities because they are afraid ICE agents will show up, said CEO John Maceri. He said even U.S. citizens at its permanent housing facility in the San Fernando Valley are hesitant to go outside because they are afraid they will be stopped and questioned by ICE. 'Frankly, anybody who's dark-skinned, Black and brown people, but particularly dark-skinned brown people, don't want to go out,' Maceri said. 'They don't want to go to the grocery store. A few of them are missing work. They're really scared. This fear factor is really taking effect.' The highest concentrations of ICE arrests in Los Angeles have occurred in the predominantly Latino neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley, according to the nonprofit Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who is from the San Fernando Valley and was himself handcuffed by federal agents last month at a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, said the numbers reflect a strategy by the Trump administration to target vulnerable communities, not just the violent criminals he promised to arrest during his campaign. 'This is an administration who proudly changed policy to pursue these enforcement actions in workplaces, in schools, including elementary schools, and houses of worship,' he said. 'If they were only focusing on dangerous, violent criminals, you're not going to find them at schools and churches and homeless camps.' A map released Tuesday by CHIRLA showed that 471 of the 2,800 arrests made by the Department of Homeland Security from June 6 to July 20 occurred in predominantly Latino neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley. It did not specify how many of the arrestees were homeless people. CHIRLA President Angelica Salas said the data highlighted 'racial profiling' by federal officials, who have denied targeting people based on their skin color. 'What makes someone a target of ICE is if they are illegally in the U.S. — NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity,' DHS said in a recent statement. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order that encourages cities to remove homeless people from their streets. Whitehead said the order could trigger more arrests of homeless people and further heighten their fears. At the homeless shelter where the two Venezuelan men were arrested, residents remain on high alert, Lailanie said. Immigrants are now accompanied to work, errands and court appointments by staff in unmarked cars without the organization's logo. Officials at the shelter requested that its name not be used out of fear of retribution by the Trump administration. The Venezuelans, who are 20 and 22 years old, barely speak English and had been living at the shelter for a few weeks before they were arrested, she said. They had not been there long enough to be paired with immigration lawyers, she said. The 22-year-old was deported, and employees have been unable to locate the younger man, she said. Since the arrests, staff members have witnessed at least three immigration stakeouts around the facility, two shelter employees said. On one occasion, a uniformed officer asked to use a bathroom inside the center. A maintenance worker allowed him to enter because he didn't know what else to do, the two employees said. Staffers have also seen unmarked black SUVs parked near the center and in the parking lot. Most recently, an asylum-seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo who had been living at the shelter was arrested after reporting to immigration court, according to two people who work at the shelter. The employees said that before his arrest, he had difficulty applying for jobs because he wore an ankle monitor, which was given to him when he presented himself to immigration officials. Confused, he went to immigration court and asked officials to remove the monitor, the two employees said, but he was arrested instead. He was taken to the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, California, while his lawyer pleaded his asylum case, which is still pending, according to Lailanie. He fears being returned to central Africa, where his father was killed, she said. 'People are scared and people are hurting, but people are also compelled to continue to do the work and do the right thing and try to fight for the right thing,' she said.