What Does the 5-Year Survival Rate for Lung Cancer Mean?
Survival rates show what percentage of people with a certain type and stage of cancer live for a certain period of time after they are diagnosed. A 5-year survival rate refers to people who are alive 5 years after they are diagnosed. These are the people it includes: • People who are free of lung cancer • People who have lung cancer with few or no signs or symptoms • People who are being treated for lung cancer Many people live much longer than 5 years after they are diagnosed. Also, because the statistic is based on people diagnosed and initially treated 5 or more years ago, it’s possible that the outlook could be better today. People who are more recently diagnosed may have a more favorable outlook. That’s because of improvements in the way cancer is treated. Survival rates are based on large groups of people. They cannot predict what will happen to a particular person. No two people are exactly alike, and treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.