A cancer diagnosis comes as a shock, no matter the circumstances. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that thanks to scientific and medical advancements, more individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer are triumphing over the disease and subsequently going on to lead long, healthy lives. In 2026, the National Cancer Institute cited 2025 research that suggested 18.6 million Americans have a history of cancer—meaning they’d been diagnosed, but had beat it.