Claims of Cancer Soar 38% in Decade
A fresh national Gallup survey indicates that the share of American adults who say they have received a cancer diagnosis has climbed to its highest level on record. The poll found that 9.7% of adults reported having been told they had cancer during 2024–2025, a dramatic jump from 7.0% in 2008–2009.
For a number of years beginning in 2010, the percentage hovered only slightly above 7%, showing little movement. But over the last decade, the figure has risen steadily, marking a notable shift in long-term health trends.
Gallup points out that one of the central drivers of this increase is the fact that patients are surviving cancer in greater numbers and therefore remain part of the population reporting a diagnosis.
Data from the American Cancer Society reinforces that explanation. The organization says cancer deaths dropped by 1.7% per year from 2013 to 2022, and five-year survival rates have also strengthened — from 63% among those diagnosed in 1995–1997 to 69% among people diagnosed between 2014 and 2020.
Because more patients now outlive their disease, Gallup notes that the total number of Americans who can say they have ever received a diagnosis naturally continues to grow.
While cancer can affect individuals of all ages, the greatest concentration continues to be among older Americans, and the gap between age groups is expanding. Adults 65 and older saw a 3.4-point increase in reported diagnoses compared with Gallup’s 2008–2009 findings.
The latest poll shows that 21.5% of seniors said a medical professional had diagnosed them with cancer. Among adults aged 45 to 64, almost 9% reported the same.
According to the American Cancer Society, older age remains the single strongest risk factor for developing cancer. And with the U.S. Census Bureau projecting that people 65 and older will outnumber those under 18 by 2034, the upward trend is expected to intensify.
Gender differences also emerged in the latest Gallup numbers. Men now report a slightly higher lifetime diagnosis rate than women — 9.8% for men compared to 9.6% for women. Since 2008–2009, the share of men who say they’ve been diagnosed has climbed 3.6 points.
Gallup says the shift is partly due to major mortality improvements in cancers that historically hit men harder, such as lung and prostate cancer. Better PSA testing and sharp declines in smoking rates have contributed to the gains.
Women’s higher earlier totals stemmed largely from decades of breast cancer survivorship, especially among those diagnosed from roughly 1990 through 2010. Although breast cancer deaths are still declining, the pace of decline has slowed, and progress in reducing lung cancer mortality among women has lagged behind the improvements seen in men.
The broader takeaway from Gallup’s new findings is encouraging: more Americans are living through cancer than ever before. Still, with the nation’s population aging rapidly, the number of people who will report having had cancer at some point in their lives is poised to continue rising.
{Matzav.com}