Key facts
- More Americans are living with cancer due to advancements in targeted drug therapies.
- Targeted drugs focus on the genetic signatures of tumors.
- Seven out of 10 cancer patients now survive for at least five years.
- Cancer deaths in people aged 15-49 have dropped 25% since 1990.
- Cancer is expected to remain the second leading cause of death after heart disease.
The number of Americans living with cancer is increasing, driven by advancements in targeted drug therapies that focus on a tumor's genetic signature. This progress has led to a significant improvement in survival rates, with seven out of ten cancer patients now surviving for at least five years, a substantial increase from less than half in the 1970s. Rebecca Siegel, head of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, anticipates that survival rates will continue to rise. Cancer deaths in individuals aged 15 to 49 have also seen a 25% decrease since 1990. While survival rates are improving, cancer is expected to remain the second leading cause of death after heart disease. The development of drugs like Roche's Herceptin and AstraZeneca's Tagrisso, along with experimental treatments targeting specific mutations, allows patients to live longer with the disease, sometimes for decades. Trials that select patients based on genetic markers have nearly doubled success rates compared to unselected trials, highlighting the importance of understanding the full genomic profile of every cancer.