By Tacuma Roeback, Managing Editor | Chicago Defender
This isn’t breaking news, but cancer remains a scourge in this country. The latest report from the American Cancer Society delivers some sobering truths but also offers some findings that signal hopeful progress.
ACS officials met with the media earlier this week to unveil the annual Cancer Statistics 2025 report, revealing the challenges ahead and the strides made in the fight against this disease.
Graphic courtesy of the American Cancer Society.
The Fight Against Cancer: Gains and New Battles
Cancer mortality has dropped by an impressive 34% since 1991, saving an estimated 4.5 million lives. Yet, the report highlighted a troubling rise in cancer diagnoses among women and younger adults.
- Women and Cancer: Women under 65 now face a higher likelihood of cancer than men in the same age group. Among women under 50, the gap is stark—82% higher than men, compared to 51% in 2002.
- Pancreatic Cancer’s Grim Reality: Pancreatic cancer continues to rise. It’s now the third leading cause of cancer death, with survival rates stubbornly stuck at just 8%.
“Continued reductions in cancer mortality because of drops in smoking, better treatment, and earlier detection is certainly great news,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report. “However, this progress is tempered by rising incidence in young and middle-aged women, who are often the family caregivers, and a shifting cancer burden from men to women, harkening back to the early 1900s when cancer was more common in women.”
Clear Trends, Tough Realities
Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society, outlined critical trends that demand action:
Lung Cancer and Gender: Women under 65 now have higher lung cancer rates than men, a shift tied to smoking habits and the rise of non-smoking-related lung cancer.
Age and Diagnosis: Though age remains the most significant risk factor, diagnoses among those over 65 are decreasing. Meanwhile, cancer is rising in adults aged 50-64 and those under 50.
Unequal Burdens
- The battle against cancer is far from equitable:
Racial Disparities: Black Americans face double the death rate of white Americans for prostate, stomach, and uterine cancers. For breast cancer, Black women are more likely to die despite lower incidence.
“Cancer care disparities remain a glaring problem,” said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, ACS’s senior vice president of health equity science. “Ending these inequalities is critical to saving lives.”
A Path Forward
The ACS calls for individual and systemic action:
- Know your family history to guide screenings.
- Maintain a healthy diet and stay active.
- Avoid tobacco and limit alcohol consumption.
- Get vaccinated, especially against HPV.
At the same time, the ACS urges greater investment in equitable screening programs and research.
“This report underscores the need to increase investment in both cancer treatment and care, including equitable screening programs, especially for underserved groups of patients and survivors. Screening programs are a critical component of early detection, and expanding access to these services will save countless lives,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
Call to Action
Cancer will touch over 2 million lives in 2025, with more than 618,000 deaths projected and remains the second leading cause of death in America.
The overall message from the briefing is that more work needs to be done.
“As the largest non-government, non-profit funding source of cancer research in the U.S., we are currently financing more than $450 million in grants to scientists,” Dr. Frederick said.
“Our goal is to find answers that help save lives.”
These important findings are published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, alongside its consumer-friendly companion, Cancer Facts & Figures 2025, available on cancer.org.
