More people are surviving cancer in the U.S. than ever before, even as the number of new U.S. cancer cases is expected to increase 19% by 2050. The AACR’s 2026 Cancer Progress Report showed rising cancer survival rates – especially for breast and lung cancer – and new technologies like AI could drive survival even higher.
The AACR report revealed big improvements in treatment and clinical outcomes…
- The overall five-year survival rate for distant-stage cancer is more than double what it was three decades ago (17% to 36%).
- Since July 2025, the FDA approved 11 new anticancer therapies and additional uses for five existing interventions.
While that progress is coming fast, it has stalled in some areas…
- The pancreatic cancer survival rate remains low at 14%, compared with 92% for breast cancer and 98% for prostate cancer.
- Disparities persist: Black men and American Indian/Alaska Native women had the highest cancer incidence rates from 2019 to 2023.
- Across the same period, lung cancer rates were 37% higher in rural versus metropolitan areas.
Breast and lung cancer rank second and third for new diagnoses in the U.S., but advances in imaging-based screening for these cancers are accelerating…
- The U.S. breast cancer mortality rate declined by 44% from 1989 to 2024.
- Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing by 1.2% per year.
- Efforts to promote earlier detection are occurring, such as the USPSTF’s lowering of the recommended mammography screening age to 40.
- Declines in lung cancer mortality accounted for the largest share of cancer deaths averted from 1975 to 2020, partly because of tobacco-control programs.
But screening continues to be an essential tool to drive cancer mortality down even more, and AI could become a handy helper.
- The MASAI trial found that AI-supported screening was associated with a 12% lower rate of interval cancers.
- AI-assisted mammography detected early-stage breast cancer with greater sensitivity than standard screening without sacrificing specificity.
- The report cited two recently cleared AI tools that can help with early detection: RevealDx’s RevealAI-Lung, which reportedly reduced false positives by 18%, and Median Technologies’ eyonis LCS, which showed 93% sensitivity in tests.
The tools could also help radiologists cope with the ongoing workforce shortage by stepping in as second readers or prioritizing high-risk cases.
- AI assistance could decrease reading workload by 44%, per the AACR report.
The Takeaway
The AACR’s report shows encouraging progress in the war on cancer. In the future, AI advances could help radiologists continue to improve screening for lung and breast cancer patients, with some promising early evidence.
