PHILADELPHIA – Today, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released the 16th edition of its annual Cancer Progress Report . This comprehensive report provides current data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survivorship. It also outlines how basic, translational, and clinical cancer research and cancer-related population science—largely supported by federal investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—are improving health and saving lives.
The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 highlights the latest advances in understanding, preventing, detecting, and treating cancer as well as important information about supporting cancer patients and survivors. This year’s report also looks ahead to the future of cancer research, describing the promising impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and liquid biopsy along with cutting-edge therapeutics like cancer vaccines and RNA medicines. Several patients who have benefited from recent scientific breakthroughs generously shared their personal stories in the report, thereby illustrating the real-world impact of cancer research.
A cornerstone of AACR’s educational and advocacy work, the report closes with specific policy recommendations to achieve a healthier future for all Americans and a strong Call to Action that urges Congress and other policymakers to protect the investments in research and merit-based systems that make progress against cancer possible.
“Over the course of my 25-year career as a physician-scientist, I have witnessed a remarkable transformation in our understanding of cancer and how we diagnose and treat patients. Advances in genomics, immunology, and artificial intelligence have given us more insight than ever before into the complexities of cancer. This knowledge is helping us to develop highly effective treatments—and entirely new therapeutic approaches—that more precisely match each patient’s disease,” said AACR President Keith Flaherty, MD, FAACR, chair of the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 Steering Committee. “As this year’s report illustrates, progress against cancer is proceeding rapidly, with more breakthroughs on the horizon. We can’t stop here. Now is the time to invest in medical research, encourage collaboration across laboratories and disciplines, and support the next generation of cancer scientists. By doing so, we will accelerate discoveries and translate them into increasingly precise, biology-driven approaches that will transform the lives of patients with cancer.”
RESEARCH IS DRIVING PROGRESS AGAINST CANCER
Years of coordinated efforts and multidisciplinary collaborations among stakeholders in the medical research community have led to remarkable progress against cancer. According to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 :
NEW FRONTIERS IN CANCER RESEARCH
In addition to documenting recent progress against cancer, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 explores several emerging and ongoing areas of research.
GLP-1 Use and Cancer Risk
Weight loss interventions, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, may reduce the risk of developing obesity-related cancers:
As the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 explains, however, evidence regarding GLP-1 use and cancer risk reduction remains inconsistent. A large review of 48 clinical trials involving more than 94,000 participants treated with GLP-1s found no significant reduction in the overall risk of obesity-related cancers. Other studies have found that GLP-1 use may increase the risk of some cancers. For example, liraglutide (Victoza/Saxenda) use increased the risk of thyroid and respiratory cancer by 70% and 62%, respectively.
In short, the role of these drugs in cancer prevention, while promising, requires further investigation.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is enabling faster and more efficient approaches to cancer research and clinical care. According to the report:
Cancer Vaccines
After decades of research and steady progress, preventive and therapeutic cancer vaccines are gaining momentum in the clinic and represent a promising treatment strategy for many different types of cancer. According to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 , new technologies are allowing researchers to improve vaccine design, identify new tumor-specific targets, and optimize combinations with other therapies. Recent advances include:
DESPITE PROGRESS, CANCER REMAINS A THREAT
While new technologies and treatments are bringing substantial hope and improving outcomes for many patients, cancer still afflicts millions of Americans. In 2026, it is estimated that more than 2.1 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed, and more than 626,000 people will die from cancer in the United States alone. By 2050, the number of new cancer cases in the United States is projected to surpass 2.5 million, a 19% increase from the current number.
Moreover, survival rates remain stubbornly low for some cancers. For example, between 2016 and 2022, the overall five-year relative survival rate was 13.7% for pancreatic cancer and 6.6% for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, compared with 91.9% for female breast cancer and 98.2% for prostate cancer.
As discussed in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 , the growing incidence of early-onset cancers, defined as cancers diagnosed in people aged 18 to 49 years, has emerged as a pressing public health concern in recent years. Globally, cancer incidence among individuals under the age of 50 increased by nearly 80% between 1990 and 2019. While incidence rates are increasing across many different cancers, certain gastrointestinal cancers—such as colorectal, stomach, and esophageal cancers—have contributed disproportionally to the rise in early-onset cancers. Researchers have identified a number of overlapping risk factors that may be driving these increases, including rising obesity rates, more sedentary lifestyles, greater exposure to environmental pollutants, and shifts in dietary patterns.
Cancer also exerts a significant financial toll on individuals and society. In the United States, the direct costs associated with cancer care, many of which are borne by patients, were estimated to be more than $236 billion in 2020. The overall economic impact of cancer, including indirect costs and lost productivity, is far higher and expected to grow. One analysis cited in the report estimates that cancer will cost the U.S. economy $5.3 trillion over the next three decades, thus calling attention to the important role of cancer research in averting such adverse effects on the U.S. economy.
AACR CALLS ON POLICYMAKERS TO PROTECT CANCER RESEARCH FOR THE BENEFIT OF PATIENTS
As demonstrated throughout this year’s report, decades of federal investment in cancer research have led to remarkable advances for patients. Progress in cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivorship has helped individuals in every community live longer, healthier lives. This progress will only continue, however, if Congress, the Administration, federal agencies, and state policymakers protect the systems that make meritorious scientific and medical research possible.
Most urgently, Congress must stop the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from finalizing or implementing its proposed rule, “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance.” As discussed in previous AACR statements , this proposal would inject political considerations into funding decisions and broaden federal agencies’ authority to terminate grants for reasons unrelated to scientific merit or recipient performance. Thankfully, bipartisan action in Congress has blocked the rule through December 11, 2026. A temporary delay, however, is not a lasting solution.
At this pivotal moment, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 ends with a strong Call to Action urging policymakers to stand firmly in support of cancer research and cancer patients and to ensure that federal grantmaking remains guided by evidence, scientific merit, transparency, and accountability:
Sustain the Foundations of Discovery Science and Medicine
Protect Scientific Integrity and Independence
Ensure That Every Patient Benefits From Progress Against Cancer
“As this year’s AACR Cancer Progress Report illustrates, decades of robust, sustained, and predictable federal investment in cancer research have transformed patient care and saved millions of lives,” said AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc). “Advances in our understanding of cancer and in the technologies available to cancer researchers and oncologists mean that the promise and momentum of scientific discovery have never been greater. If we are to continue making progress for the millions of Americans affected by cancer, it is essential that Congress protect funding for cancer research as well as the rigorous federal grantmaking system that has helped establish the United States as the global scientific leader. Only by sustaining this commitment to meritorious research, free of political interference, will we be able to discover the next generation of scientific breakthroughs that lead to lifesaving cancer cures.”
# # #
RESOURCES
The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2026 will be published at www.cancerprogressreport.org when the embargo lifts.
For an embargoed copy of the report , contact Kathleen Medora at kathleen.medora@aacr.org or 215-290-5408.
The AACR has made the following graphics available for reporters’ use in stories and on social media. Download them at the links below:
Video interviews with patients featured in the report, as well as b-roll, are also available. Contact Kathleen Medora at kathleen.medora@aacr.org for clips.