AACR Report: U.S. Cancer Death Rate Down 35% Since 1991
A new American Association for Cancer Research report shows the U.S. cancer mortality rate fell 35% from 1991 to 2024, averting nearly 5 million deaths. The decline was largely driven by reduced smoking and subsequent drops in lung cancer deaths, along with improved early detection and treatment. The AACR urged sustained federal investment, warning that funding cuts could jeopardize future progress.
The report attributes the sustained mortality decline primarily to falling smoking rates and corresponding reductions in lung cancer deaths, with colorectal and breast cancer improvements also contributing significantly. Five-year survival across all cancers now stands at 71%, reflecting decades of research-driven advances in detection and treatment.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, the FDA approved 11 new anticancer therapies plus five additional indications for existing drugs. Notable progress includes the first-in-class RAS inhibitor daraxonrasib for metastatic pancreatic cancer, which doubled median overall survival in a phase III trial, and growing momentum in preventive and therapeutic cancer vaccine research. However, survival outcomes remain starkly uneven, with pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma patients facing 14% and 7% five-year survival rates respectively, versus 92% for breast cancer and 98% for prostate cancer.
This report may reinforce public confidence in cancer research while highlighting vulnerabilities in the funding ecosystem. Patients and clinicians could benefit from continued momentum in drug approvals and vaccine development, but proposed grant-termination rules may slow clinical trial enrollment and delay new therapies. The survival disparities across cancer types could sharpen attention on underfunded research areas, potentially shaping philanthropic priorities and patient advocacy efforts in the coming years.