Less Cancer, More Survivors

Although overall cancer incidence is on the decline, the number of cancer survivors appears to be going up, according to a new report.

That's likely due to improvements in detection and treatment, and the fact that the elderly population is growing, said the American Cancer Society researchers behind this report.

In fact, these researchers projected that there could be 20 million cancer survivors in the United States by 2026 — up from around 15.5 million at the start of 2016.

Although more people surviving cancer is a good thing, it may pose some challenges, these researchers said. Cancer survivors often have specific care needs, and the report authors called for more research into specialized care for this population.

This report, produced every two years as a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute, was published recently in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

The report authors disclosed no outside funding sources or conflicts of interest.