How We Can Give Every Cancer Patient the Best Chance to Survive

The fight against cancer is at a crossroads that can be summed up by two numbers.

The first: 70 percent. That is the number of people who, for the first time, are living at least five years after a cancer diagnosis. It reflects the remarkable progress in cancer therapies, prevention, and early detection over the last 30 years.

Better health for more people is about driving innovation and advocacy with patient impact in mind.

Things that once belonged to science fiction—genomic medicine, engineered immune cells, and AI that synthesizes vast clinical information—are now part of modern medicine. We know cancer comprises hundreds of different diseases that can be treated in highly targeted ways. That offers hope to the 4 in 10 Americans who will hear “you have cancer” in their lifetime.

The second number: 50 percent. Recent studies have shown that as many as half of patients with certain cancer types are not receiving care aligned with the latest evidence-based guidelines. Moreover, 80 percent of patients will not be treated at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center offering the latest treatments and expertise. Thus, many are not being given the best chance to survive their cancer diagnosis.

This astounding failure reflects a health system that has lost sight of what matters to patients. Scientific breakthroughs, targeted therapies, and AI-powered advances only matter if they reach patients in time. Today, too many patients are left behind by a system that was not designed around them. We must re-center the patient in the cancer ecosystem.

I hear what cancer patients say matters most to them: They want an expert in their specific disease, access to the latest treatments and clinical trials, and to be treated with dignity. Increasingly, I am also hearing patients seeking a trusting relationship with their cancer provider. Trust is the foundation of everything we do. When someone receives a cancer diagnosis, they place extraordinary trust in the people caring for them, and they put their trust in a health system overall. They want confidence in the science, but they also want to be treated with compassion and humanity.

We are at risk of losing the trust of patients who are not positioned to benefit from the promised progress against cancer. Trust is not built through what we say; it is earned through what patients and families experience every day. Right now, there are specific steps we must take to regain the trust of cancer patients.

Every cancer patient should have access to biomarker testing. Biomarker testing is essential for accurately diagnosing specific cancer subtypes and determining targeted treatments, as National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend. Yet only about one-third of cancer patients receive it, despite improved survival chances without higher overall treatment costs. Nonspecialized providers often do not perform it, and insurance gaps also play a role: Fewer than half of states require health plans to cover testing. These factors disproportionately impact lower-income and rural patients.

Every cancer patient should have access to the latest treatments and clinical trials. Most patients do not receive care at specialized centers offering the leading experts, latest treatments, newest trials, and best outcomes. This is especially important for patients with complex and later-stage cancers. 

City of Hope has built a national clinical trials network that can be quickly activated at care sites serving patients nationwide. We have also pursued deeper partnerships with local providers who can benefit from our subspecialty expertise and policy changes to ensure health plans provide access to leading cancer centers. These are examples we hope can be replicated across the country.

Every cancer patient should have support after receiving treatment. Nearly 19 million Americans have survived cancer, and that number is expected to rise as cancer rates increase. Survivors face a range of challenges from emotional and financial distress to increased recurrence risk, yet post-treatment care is often an afterthought. City of Hope has developed nationally renowned supportive care and survivorship programs with longitudinal research and ongoing support. That should be the national standard.

Better health for more people is about driving innovation and advocacy with patient impact in mind. The progress to help people live longer with cancer is already within reach. Now we need to move more quickly so that every cancer patient has the chance to benefit.