Cancer Survival Rates

Changes in the 5-Year Relative Survival Rates by Primary Cancer Site, All Races

The overall 5-year relative survival rate for all cancer sites combined increased slightly from 49.3 percent in 1974-76 to 53.9 percent in 1983-90. Early data from 1960-63 and 1970-73 were not available for all races combined. Survival rates vary by primary site from less than 3 percent for cancer of the pancreas to more than 90 percent for cancer of the thyroid.

Part of the recent increase in breast cancer survival may be due to early detection; a higher percentage of the more recent cases were diagnosed with smaller tumors. Survival increases for prostate cancer may also in part be the result of early detection and the inclusion of occult disease in asymptomatic men.

 

5-Year Relative Survival Ratesa for Selected Cancer Sites, All Races

ALL RACES

 Cancer Site

1960-63

1970-73

1974-76

1977-79

1980-82

1983-90

Brain & Other Nervous ­ ­

22.3

24.4

25.0

27.3

Breast (females) ­ ­

74.3

74.5

76.2

80.4

Cervix Uteri ­ ­

68.5

67.7

66.9

67.4

Colon & Rectum ­ ­

49.5

51.7

54.2

59.2

Corpus & Uterus, NOS ­ ­

87.7

84.9

81.4

83.2

Esophagus ­ ­

4.7

5.1

6.7

9.2

Hodgkin's Disease ­ ­

71.1

73.0

74.3

78.9

Kidney & Renal Pelvis ­ ­

51.3

50.8

51.4

56.3

Larynx ­ ­

65.4

66.8

68.0

67.0

Leukemias ­ ­

34.2

36.6

37.4

38.3

Liver & Intrahep ­ ­

3.8

3.7

3.4

6.0

Lung & Bronchus ­ ­

12.3

13.3

13.3

13.4

Melanoma of Skin ­ ­

79.7

81.5

82.1

85.1

Multiple Myeloma ­ ­

24.4

26.1

28.0

27.7

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma ­ ­

47.1

48.1

51.1

52.0

Oral Cavity & Pharynx ­ ­

53.2

52.4

52.4

52.3

Ovary ­ ­

36.5

38.1

 38.9 41.8
Pancreas ­ ­

2.6

2.5

 3.1 3.2
Prostate ­ ­

66.7

70.9

 73.1 79.6
Stomach ­ ­

15.1

16.7

 17.5 18.5
Testis ­ ­

78.6

 87.2 91.7 93.3
Thyroid ­ ­

91.9

 92.5 94.2 94.6
Urinary Bladder ­ ­

72.4

 74.8 77.9 79.8
All Sites ­ ­

49.3

 49.8 50.6 53.9

continue


a Data for 1960-63 and 1970-73 are from three hospital registries and one state registry and appear in Cancer Patient Survival Experience, 1980. Data for 1974-90 are from SEER, and represent approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population. Thus, the earlier data and the SEER data are not strictly comparable, but each represents the best available data for the period covered.

- Statistics could not be calculated.