75 Years of Cancer Research Have Given Patients 26 Million Extra Years of Life
Washington – September 07, 2026 -- A new analysis published in Blood Advances finds that treatment advances for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancers have saved an estimated 25.8 million life-years in the United States since 1949. The study, led by Blood Cancer United, introduces a first-of-its-kind "life-years saved" methodology built on data from the National Cancer Institute's SEER Program, tracking cancer incidence, mortality and U.S. life expectancy from the era of the first chemotherapies through 2024.
Blood cancers now account for nearly 10% of all U.S. cancer diagnoses, with more than 192,000 new cases expected this year. Unlike many solid tumors, where screening and prevention drive survival gains, progress against blood cancers depends almost entirely on new therapies and access to them.