An annual report from the American Cancer Society shows that, for the first time, over 70% of Americans diagnosed with cancer can expect to live at least five years. The increase from the mid-1970s, when that number was just 49% is huge.

Shame can shape how early patients get diagnosed, and how aggressively they pursue treatment, if at all. In a 2014 study, Dr. Carter-Bawa found that lung cancer stigma was tied to patients waiting longer to seek care, regardless of smoking status or health care distrust.

In March 2025, veteran firefighter Ken Jones was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. His insurance company has since denied coverage for his life-saving treatment, as well as an appeal filed by his doctors.

“You have this clear marker that you’re sick,” McQueen explains. “People feel entitled to speak about your illness in a way that I’m not sure others with chronic illnesses that are less visible experience. Your humanity is replaced with this tragic figure. You kind of flatten from this multifaceted person to this 2D figure: cancer patient.”

The five-year relative survival for all cancers combined has reached a milestone, according to the American Cancer Society.