Rise in Number of Cancer Survivors Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease. In the (51), it was often considered a death sentence. But many patients now live longer(52)of improvements in discovery and treatment. Researchers say death(53)in the United States from all cancers combined have fallen for thirty years. Survival rates have increased for most of the top fifteen cancers in both men and women, and for cancers in(54). The National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the number of cancer survivors. A cancer survivor is defined(55)anyone who has been found to have cancer. This would include current patients. The study covered the period(56)1971 to 2001. The researchers found there are three(57)as many cancer survivors today as there were thirty years ago. In 1971, the United States had about three-million cancer(58). Today there are about ten-million. The study also found that 64% of adults with cancer can expect to still be(59)in five years. Thirty years ago, the five-year survival rate was 50%. The government wants to (60)the five-year survival rate to 70% by 2010. The risk of cancer increases with age. The report says the majority of survivors are 65 years and (61). But it says medical improvements have also helped children with cancer live(62)longer. Researchers say 80% of children with cancer will survive at least five years after the discovery. About 75% will survive at (63)ten years. In the 1970s, the five-year survival rate for children was about 50%. In the 1960s, most children did not survive cancer. Researchers say they(64)more improvements in cancer treatment in the future. In fact, they say traditional cancer-prevention programs are not enough anymore. They say public health programs should also aim to support the (65)numbers of cancer survivors and their families.