 |
|
|
|
On this page:
Advances in the ways cancer is diagnosed and treated have increased the number of people who live disease-free for long periods of time. This report looks at trends in 5-year survival rates for cancer, the time period traditionally associated with good prognosis. However, some people will have a recurrence of their cancer after 5 years. In 2004 nearly 10.8 million Americans were alive who had been diagnosed with cancer. Of these, 2.4 million were diagnosed with female breast cancer, 2 million were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 1.1 million were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Approximately 628,339 (6 percent of the 10.8 million) Americans diagnosed with cancer were longer-term survivors diagnosed at least 29 years earlier. Read more in the Methodology for Characterizing Trends appendix Five-year relative cancer survival rate: The proportion of patients surviving cancer 5 years after diagnosis calculated in the absence of other causes of death. It is a ratio expressed as a percent, of the proportion of observed survivors in a cohort of cancer patients to the proportion of expected survivors. This report shows survival rates for cancers of the prostate, female breast, colon/rectum, lung, and for all cancers combined. Period – 1975–1999 (year diagnosed) All cancer sites combined: Generally rising since 1975 except stable during 1992–1995 Prostate: Generally rising since 1975 except stable during 1992–1995 Female breast: Rising since 1975 Colorectal: Generally rising since 1975 except for non-significant change during 1990–1995 Lung and bronchus: Significant slight rise since 1987 Among these four cancers, five-year survival rates are highest for prostate and female breast cancers and lowest for lung cancer. For adults diagnosed with cancer (all sites) in 1999, 66 percent had survived their cancer for at least 5 years. Increase to 70 percent the proportion of cancer survivors who are living 5 years or longer after diagnosis. Groups at High Risk for Limited Survival Late stage at diagnosis is associated with limited survival. This association supports the need for continued development of early detection and stage-appropriate treatment strategies, as well as expanded efforts to ensure that all Americans have equal access to these life-saving interventions. Improved survival rates result from both early detection and better treatments. It is difficult to separate out the contribution of each factor. Despite the positive trends in 5-year survival for three of the most common cancers, lung cancer survival rates remain low. Additional Information on Cancer Survival
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
