New cancer progress report highlights record number of survivors and new treatments

The FDA approved 27 new cancer treatments in the past year, the highest such number in a single-year period, according to the latest progress report from the American Association for Cancer Research. Here’s what else you need to know: 

• Improved survival: As of January, there were a record 16.9 million cancer survivors. Death rates among African American men also improved: In 1990, the rate was 47% higher than white men, but that decreased to 19% in 2016. 
• New treatments: Among the 27 approvals were the first immunotherapy for breast cancer patients, as well as the first treatment targeted for a specific genetic biomarker. 
• New cases: Owing to a growing — and aging — population, the report predicts the number of new cancer cases will rise from 1.7 million this year to more than 2.3 million in 2040.