PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — We’re less than two weeks into a new year, and on Tuesday, a leading U.S. health organization released its annual report on what to expect in 2026 when it comes to cancer cases and death rates.

First, the good news.

In the report, the American Cancer Society says cancer deaths continue to decline in the United States, largely due to less smoking, earlier detection of cancers and improved treatments.

“We’ve made more progress in the treatment of metastatic cancer in the last 20 years than we did in, in the history of mankind before then, so we are making real progress,” said Dr. William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer for the American Cancer Society.

But there’s grim news, too.

In 2026, the organization projects more than 2.1 million new cancer cases in the U.S. along with more than 626,000 cancer deaths.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of those deaths, killing more people than colorectal and pancreatic cancers combined, the next two deadliest cancers.

“We’ve seen a five-time improvement in overall survival for metastatic lung cancer patients, but only at 10 percent, so while there’s been great improvement there, there’s still a long way to go,” said Dahut.

Disparities also remain.

Alaska natives and Native Americans have the highest cancer death rates.

The organization says that’s largely driven by lack of access to care, as well as environment and lifestyle.

Black women also are less likely to survive breast cancer and are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and have poorer outcomes for endometrial and uterine cancers.

The U.S. continues to see rates climb for men with advanced prostate cancer, and Black men are more likely to be diagnosed and die from that disease.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Dahut.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla.