Cancer in the Rearview Mirror: 15 Years of AACR Cancer Progress Report Survivor Stories 

With the publication of the Cancer Progress Report’s 15^th edition, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) celebrates not only the progress made against cancer that the report has marked throughout the years but also what that progress stands for. Impressive though the statistics may be (and they are quite impressive, including a remarkable 1.54% decline in the overall U.S. cancer death rate each year from 2011 to 2023), the human lives that the stats describe are ultimately what matter.  

For the past decade and a half, the AACR Cancer Progress Report has told the stories of the survivors whose lives have been lengthened or even saved outright by new treatments and technology. On the 15^th anniversary of the AACR Cancer Progress Report, we caught up with some of these survivors to get a sense of the progress being made against cancer as experienced first-hand by those with the greatest stakes in cancer research.  

Moving Beyond Five-year Survival  

One of cancer mortality’s best-known measures is the five-year relative survival rate, defined as the proportion of patients who are still alive five years after their initial diagnosis of a given cancer indication. Human lifespans, however, are not measured in five-year increments but many times that. So how have survivors from previous AACR Cancer Progress Reports fared when measured against the five-year benchmark? 

“I’m NED [no evidence of disease] for 9+ years and without needing treatment for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer,” said Barbara Bigelow, who was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to her liver in 2015, and her stage 4 cancer had only a 33% chance of five-year survival. After several treatments failed, she enrolled in a trial for pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immune checkpoint inhibitor that targets the protein PD-1 in cancer, of which her tumors had high levels. Despite an inflammation response that briefly sent Bigelow into a coma, she made a complete recovery. 

At his cancer’s worst, David John Maddison had 11 tumors throughout his body after his bladder cancer metastasized. Then he enrolled in a clinical trial for a new monoclonal antibody treatment. The results speak for themselves: “I’ve been in remission for 10 years. I was on the phase I trial for atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and the first super responder.”  

Elizabeth Buell-Fleming was just 2 years old when she was diagnosed with a high-risk brain tumor. Though she did not qualify for the clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody treatment for her brain cancer, she was allowed to receive the treatment after all others failed—and it worked.  

Today, Buell-Fleming is a college student. She said, “I have been in remission for 17 years, and I am living a fully cancer-free life. I have aged out of the Nemours survivorship clinic and am entering the world of adult providers. I have been able to get to this point because of the amazing doctors at both Nemours and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Had they not advocated for me to receive monoclonal antibody treatment upon compassionate release, I would not be here today.” 

Shaundra L. Hall, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix at age 28, says she has put her cancer behind her and looks to the future: “I am a 25+ year survivor. I consider my cancer journey to be in my past and don’t dwell on it. I am living a healthy robust life at 55 years old and am looking forward to staying as healthy as I can for as long as I can.” Her cancer was likely a result of an undiagnosed HPV infection. Thanks to her vigilance in Pap testing, Hall’s tumor was identified at a point where it could be removed with surgery.  

New Perspectives: Thoughts on Cancer Survival 

Though all of us must reckon with our mortality someday, cancer patients look it squarely in the eye, sometimes for years at a time. Friends and family often rally around patients during these critical moments, and those who survive their encounters with cancer may find themselves with new perspectives on life and their relationships. Here’s how cancer has impacted these survivors socially and psychologically. 

“I’ve learned that no one is promised tomorrow, so I’ve made it a priority to cherish the here and now. Along the way, many relationships have shifted. I’ve let go of those that no longer served me and turned inward to face my own struggles—to understand the patterns I kept repeating,” said Laurie Trotman, who was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer at age 40, a time in her life when she wanted to have a child and faced the possibility that cancer treatment may have taken that option off the table for good.  

“It’s been a cathartic journey, filled with self-reflection and healing. Through it all, I’ve come to recognize what true connection looks like—and how to build relationships with people who share the same light, love, and hope for the future,” Trotman said. She froze her eggs before starting chemotherapy and is now the proud mother of her son, Tristan Trotman.  

Emily Bennett Talyor survived stage 4 lung cancer, a disease with a five-year relative survival of 9.7%. Despite those odds, Taylor is here today thanks to a rigorous combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery (including the removal of her right lung). Taylor froze her embryos before undergoing treatment, and she and her husband now have two sons. Reflecting on survival, Taylor said, “I’m infinitely surprised that there are days I don’t even remember my cancer diagnosis and journey. That amazes me, given that it was such a massive part of my life for so long. I’ve become more patient, realizing that we each have our own journey. When diagnosed, I didn’t lose my hair during treatment, and that made me acutely aware that people don’t often present as sick or suffering on the outside, even when they’re going through intense battles privately. It taught me to give others grace, and practice patience and forgiveness, which has been a wonderful change in my life perspective.”  

David Brian Beck, who learned he had stage 4 colon cancer (which has a 16% five-year survival) from an at-home screening test that led to a colonoscopy in 2018, said, “I continue to live each day, and I try to do as much as I can for others. I find myself expressing my feelings easier and building relationships with each opportunity.” Following surgery and positive response to a clinical trial testing two immune checkpoint inhibitors alongside a small-molecule drug, doctors discovered subsequent lesions in 2024. Beck was then prescribed a combination of tucatinib and trastuzumab (Tukysa and Herceptin) because the lesions discovered were HER2-positive, and he continues to receive treatment while working to this day.  

Hans Loland learned that he had chronic myelogenous leukemia when his first son was just 2 years old and his wife was six months pregnant with their second. After previous treatments failed to keep the cancer at bay, Loland began taking the tyrosine-kinase inhibitor ponatinib (Iclusig). Shortly after starting the new regimen, Loland received the news that his previous treatments couldn’t deliver: His cancer was going away. It has not been detected since. Of his experience with cancer, Loland said, “I’m surprised by perspective and how it’s changed. It’s helped me be a better father (I hope), a husband, a coach, and a friend. The most important lesson I think I learned was how to tell the difference between a problem and an inconvenience. Once I had perspective, things were always easier to handle.”  

Gratitude for Researchers Who Leave No Stone Unturned 

Over the course of the past year, the U.S. cancer research infrastructure has been under attack, and AACR has been vocal in calling for policies that would allow the United States to continue to invest and retain its edge in lifesaving cancer research. Amid such a challenging environment for scientists, the survivors were asked what they wanted to say to cancer researchers.  

Adrienne Skinner lives with Lynch syndrome, a rare condition that increases risks for a variety of cancers. After several rounds of different chemotherapies failed to hold back the cancer, Skinner enrolled in a clinical trial for pembrolizumab. In less than three months, her cancer was gone. This is her message to cancer researchers: “Thank you for your devotion and commitment! I would be long dead without the work done in cancer research that saved my life. My family—children, grandchildren, sisters, and my longtime partner—all benefit from my amazing recovery. We are all incredibly grateful and continue to support your work in whatever way we can.” 

Taylor expressed her deep gratitude for cancer researchers and emphasized the human element of scientific research. “It may seem like you spend all day just looking at cells at the end of a microscope. But those cells belong to one of us—people who have a purpose in life, who have a family they are desperately fighting for, and a life they desperately want to return to. Words aren’t enough to thank you for your advancements that are saving our lives, but please know that the immense gratitude we feel when each new drug or treatment comes out is visceral and widespread. THANK YOU,” she said.  

Albert Stroberg, MD, does not consider himself a cancer survivor; he prefers the term “victor.” Stroberg’s melanoma was once so advanced that his sons returned from school so that they could plan his wake with him. But after he completed a course of the immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy), his tumors disappeared. A man of medicine himself, Stroberg had this to say to cancer researchers: “The deepest, widest gratitude to all of those nerdy types toiling away on a good idea in an underfunded lab. We all know most of the rocks you turn over will not lead to the Nobel, but you do it anyway—just in case.”

As for Hall, she is paying the benefits of research forward in her own career. “Keep trying. I love research so much I actually went into research regulatory affairs as a profession after my diagnosis,” she said. “Continue to reach out to the advocacy community; we are ready, willing, and eager to support you in any way we can. Please do not feel siloed. We love what you do even if we don’t understand it.” 

What Cancer Leaves Behind 

The standard treatments for cancer—surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted drugs—all work differently and with varying long-term implications for health. Saving lives is the ultimate goal of cancer research, but not far behind is the goal of ensuring that any life saved from cancer can be lived happily, healthily, and to its fullest extent.  

Though cancer treatments are more targeted today than they once were, the effects of cancer and its treatment can linger long after the tumors have vanished. Survivors from past AACR Cancer Progress Reports were asked whether they still experience any ongoing symptoms from their cancer and/or their treatments.  

Donna Fernandez was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2012. Her initial course of treatment was so toxic that she struggled to walk between her living room and kitchen, but all that changed when she heard about a clinical trial for the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo). She enrolled and experienced so much success that she considers it a “miracle drug.” Her first tangle with cancer treatment, however, left some lasting impressions: “Yes, I think I still have fatigue related to radiation treatment, perhaps combined with the chemo and immunotherapy I received for seven years.” 

Loland has a similar experience. “Yes, mostly just fatigue, although being a dad of four boys and coaching two of their soccer teams, all with a full-time job, is a load in itself. Overall, I’m just glad to be alive and able to enjoy time with my kids and wife. I not only look forward to the future, but I appreciate every day.” 

Taylor is dealing with the challenges that come with losing her right lung. “Yes, I now only have one lung because my right lung was removed in February 2013, so daily life is definitely a bit different. Primarily, I have an ongoing need for extra sleep. Other symptoms are just that I tire easily and can’t get up quickly without feeling lightheaded.” 

The Continuing Story of Resilience and Progress 

Moving past cancer is different for every person, but there’s a simple, powerful throughline in everyone’s story: love of life. Now thriving in their post-cancer lives, here’s what survivors had to say when offered the chance to write freely about their experience:  

“So many people show such courage in facing this disease. I am honored to be one of the fortunate ones with complete recovery from a cancer that essentially killed everyone who had it in the past. I am profoundly grateful and live my life to the fullest knowing it is a gift thanks to the brilliance and hard work of so many.” -Skinner 

“I have been alive 10 years post my diagnosis. I didn’t expect to be here.” -Bigelow 

“Having been this close to death, my outlook on life has changed. I now appreciate things I didn’t before, and I actively spend more time with friends and family.” -Maddison 

“I am so happy to be here!” -Buell-Fleming 

When the National Cancer Act was passed in 1971, the U.S. government declared war on cancer and armed researchers with the tools they needed to prosecute such a monumental undertaking. Nothing speaks to the success of the continuing campaign against cancer more than the voices of survivors who, if not for research, would not be living and thriving alongside us today.

Even now, cancer forms in silent secrecy within the bodies of hundreds of thousands of yet-to-be-diagnosed Americans. Some of those cancers will be successfully treated with new research—and some of those cancers will continue to outsmart us. Thanks to the research community’s tireless efforts, so long as a cancer patient lives, a cancer patient has hope. Here’s to 15 more years of progress.