What Are the Survival Rates for People With Lung Cancer?
For most people with small cell lung cancer, current treatments rarely cure the cancer for people who were diagnosed between 1996 and 2004. The same is true for most people with non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment will help ease symptoms and may improve your quality of life and help you live longer. According to the American Cancer Society, these are the facts about lung cancer. The 5-year relative survival rate is the number of people who live at least five years after their cancer is diagnosed. This rate does not include people who die from other causes. • The five-year relative survival rate is 50 percent for people whose lung cancer is contained in the lung tissue and has not spread to other organs or lymph nodes. However, only a small percentage of people with lung cancer are diagnosed at this early stage. • People whose lung cancer has grown into other nearby structures or has spread to nearby lymph nodes have a five-year relative survival rate of 26 percent. • If the cancer ha
