According to a new study, US cancer survival rates are improving years after a cancer diagnosis.

The researchers analyzed the survival rates of men and women with ages 50 to 64 who were diagnosed with a variety of cancer types in 2005 to 2009.

A research team led by Wei Zheng, the study's senior author from Vanderbilt University in Nashville examined data from a national sample of more than 1 million people.

All these patients were diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum, breast, prostate, lung, liver, pancreas or ovary between 1990 and 2010.

They found that their of dying from those cancers within five years of diagnosis was 39 to 68% lower than it was for people of the same age diagnosed in 1990 to 1994. The researchers concluded that their cancer survival improved considerably over time.

About 58% people (50 to 64) diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer in 1990 to 1994 was alive five years later. Five-year survival rates for breast cancer liver cancer lung cancer pancreas cancer prostate cancer and ovarian cancer were about 83%, 7%, 13%, 55%, 91% and about 47% respectively.

A larger proportion of within same age range people diagnosed between 2005 and 2009, survived except for ovarian cancer. At five years, there was 43% fall in risk of death for colon or rectum cancers.

Compared to the early 1990s, risk of death fell 52% for breast cancer, 39% for liver cancer, 68% for prostate cancer, 25% for lung cancer and 27% for pancreas cancer.

The better odds of survival did not apply equally to all age groups. It mostly tended to favor younger patients.

Zheng said, "In general our study shows different segments benefit differently from recent advances in oncology. We need to find out the reason”.