Friday, July 10, 2009

Lung Cancer Survival Rate Help!

By Anne Durrell

It is not simple to understand all the figures about the lung cancer survival rate.

You really have to understand how these are put together and what exactly they represent.

There are several factors that really influence how lung cancer survival rates are determined; also, what you see in the figures may not be exactly what you think.

The Nitty-Gritty

Lung Cancer Survival Rate statements refer to a group of people suffering from one specific type of lung cancer, at a certain stage.

Survival statistics may also indicate rates for people suffering from lung cancer at any stage of the disease.

No matter if the person still has cancer or is in remission, usually the statistics relate to the survival rate after 5 years.

Understand that the lung cancer statistics are based upon average and a large group of people. And since every case is very different, so they only predict what the survival rate will be for a particular person.

The Factors of Survival Rates

As I have written above that, many things influence the lung cancer survival rate statistics. Below are some factors that can alter survival rates area:

* The stage

* Cancer type

* Signs present

* General health conditions

* The date of diagnosis

When a doctor informs his patient on the possible outcome of their cancer diagnosis, he usually give it upon what happens in the average case.

It is only an estimate, not an exact science.

The Average Survival Rate

For those diagnosed with early stage of lung cancer, the average survival rate is 49%, which means out of 100 people only 49 live for at least five years after diagnosis.

On the other hand, people diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread have only a 3% survival rate or only 3 out of 100 people live at least 5 years after diagnosis.

Using Survival Rates

Now you know what lung cancer survival rate statistics means, and you can begin to find out how they may be used.

The most common use is to help patients understand what lies ahead for them in dealing with the disease and the possibility of their death.

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