Nonprofit health organization
Appears in 4 stories · Last updated Oct 19, 2026
Publishes the authoritative annual Cancer Statistics report
A cancer diagnosis in the mid-1970s was close to a coin flip: only 49% of patients lived five years. Today, 71% do — the highest rate on record. The American Association for Cancer Research's 2026 progress report credits better screening, improved surgery and radiation, and a wave of drugs that harness the immune system or target specific tumor mutations.
Updated Oct 19
As of September 2026: Sets screening guidelines that shape which tests doctors recommend
Abbott began selling SimpleScreen CRC on September 30, giving average-risk Americans 45 and older a second FDA-approved blood test for colorectal cancer screening. The test reads cell-free DNA from a simple blood draw for signals associated with cancer. Abbott is betting it reaches people who never complete a colonoscopy or stool test.
Updated Sep 30
As of May 2026: Sets screening guidelines
Colorectal cancer now kills more Americans under 50 than any other cancer. James Van Der Beek, who played Dawson Leery in the late-1990s teen drama Dawson's Creek, died February 11 at age 48 after a 30-month battle with colorectal cancer. He became the latest public figure to put a face on an epidemic that medical guidelines have only recently begun to address.
Updated May 27
As of May 2026: Publishes annual Cancer Facts & Figures report
Cancer death rates in the United States peaked in 1991 at 215 deaths per 100,000 people and have since fallen 34%, averting an estimated 4.5 million deaths. The decline accelerated from about 1% annually in the 1990s to 2% annually by 2015-2020, driven by plummeting smoking rates, earlier detection through screening, and advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapy.
Updated May 22
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