The proportion of people surviving years after a cancer diagnosis is improving, according to a new analysis. Men and women ages 50 to 64, who were diagnosed in 2005 to 2009 with a variety of cancer types, were 39 to 68 percent more likely to be alive five years later, compared to people of the same age diagnosed in 1990 to 1994, researchers found. "Pretty much all populations improved their cancer survival over time," said Dr. Wei Zheng, the study's senior author from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.