Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Basic Facts Of Lung Cancer Survival Rate

By Anne Durrell

Understanding all the figures about the Lung Cancer Survival Rate is not simple.

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 Fundamentals

Lung cancer survival rates statements refer to a group of people at a certain age suffering from one specific type of lung cancer.

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.

Survival Rate Factors

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:

* Stage of cancer

* The type

* Signs present

* Health condition in general

* The date of diagnosis

When a doctor informs his patient on the possible outcome of cancer diagnosis, it usually based upon a general idea of what happens in average case.

It is only an estimate, not an exact science.

The Average of Lung Cancer Survival Rate

49 out of 100 people live for at least 5 years after diagnosis that means the average of lung cancer survival rate for those diagnosed with early stage of cancer is only 49%.

People diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread have only 3% of survival rate or only 3 out of 100 people live 5 years after diagnosis.

How to Use Survival Rates

Now that you understand, what Lung Cancer Survival Rate statistics means you can begin to understand 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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