What are survival rates for breast cancer?
Survival rates for different cancer types depend on the percentage of people who are alive and healthy after treatment for the same stage and type of cancer, over a period, like 5 or 10 years. Besides, the available survival rate data cannot serve as an accurate indicator of how long each patient lives with their disease. However, it gives a clearer understanding of the chances of success of a patient’s treatment, depending on the stage and type of diagnosis.
What is a five-year survival rate?
Five-year survival rates for cancer depend on the percentage of people who live for at least 5 years after cancer diagnosis (irrespective of whether they received treatment or not). For instance, if the 5-year survival rate for a particular cancer type is 90%, it means that 90 out of 100 people who had that type of cancer, are still alive after 5 years from their initial diagnosis.
What are relative survival rates for breast cancer?
Furthermore, relative survival rates are a more accurate method to study and estimate the real effect of cancer on survival. These relative survival rates compare the longevity of women with breast cancer across the general population. If the five-year relative survival rate for a type of breast cancer is 90%, it means that patients are almost 90% likely to live for five years on an average.
Consequently, it is essential to understand and remember that all five-year relative survival rates are just estimates. The individual prognosis for each patient depends on several factors, the least of which is an average statistic.
What are the survival rates for breast cancer patients diagnosed at different stages?
As per reports, the prognosis of different patients is different. This depends on the stage at which cancer diagnosis happens. Generally, survival rates are seen to be better for women with an early breast cancer diagnosis. Locally advanced and stage 2 or stage 3 breast cancer patients, too, have successful treatment. However, breast cancers that have spread to other body parts are harder to treat and have a poorer prognosis. The general trend for breast cancer in the USA indicates that:
- For women with stage 0 or stage 1 breast cancer, is 99%
- Stage 2 breast cancer is about 93%
- For women with stage 3 breast cancers is about 72%
- Metastatic breast cancer (or stage 4 breast cancer) is about 27%