Let’s take a moment to celebrate some good news: Although we still don’t have a cure for cancer, we’re getting better and better at preventing and treating it.

The US has made substantial progress in in the battle against cancer, cutting the number of deaths from the disease by 33% since 1991. According to a new analysis from the American Cancer Society, that’s 3.8 million cancer deaths averted. People are living longer with cancer, too. The 5-year survival rate across all kinds of cancers has increased from 49% in the mid-1970s to 68% for someone diagnosed between 2012 and 2018.

The report affirms the old maxim about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure. Over the last few decades, many cancers have been caught early enough or prevented altogether thanks to a combination of screening, lifestyle changes (most prominently, the downward trend in smoking) and vaccination.

The most stunning statistic in the report is a testament to the power of […]