With lung cancer, what does the 5% survival rate actually me?
Jun 24, 2010 in
Mesothelioma FAQs
My dearest friend just found out she has lung cancer in one lung and in some of her lymph nodes. She is having no surgery but is going to through chemo and radiation. Why isnt the lung removed? Is it and indication that she is far deep into the cancer that there is no point to the surgery? They said she has a 5% survival rate. What does that mean in reality? How do I interpret such information and put it in some type of perspective?
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7 comments
Spreedog on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Is this a small cell lung cancer or a non-small cell lung cancer? There are a number of types of lung carcinoma. For small cell types we don’t do surgery – just RT and chemotherapy. Why? Because small cell lung cancer is never localized.
If it is non-small cell lung cancer and not resectable, Chemotherapy and radiation usually buys some time.
5% survivals are usually measured at five years – meaning that one person in 20 will survive five years from diagnosis.
Lung cancers are much better prevented than treated. 85 to 90% are directly related to chronic cigarette smoking. The average person I saw with lung cancer had smoked at least 350,000 cigarettes before diagnosis. Many had smoked half a million cigarettes knowing that lung cancer was a risk. (Warnings have been on the packages for over 40 years now.)
But there are people with lung cancers who have never smoked. Maybe your friend is one of these. I have seen people who survived five years – but not many. All you can do is try and hope for the best outcome.
Here’s a good summation site if you want more information – - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec04/ch057/ch057a.html
; on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
The 5% survival rate is grim. It means that she has a 5% chance of surviving. If you took a group of 100 people with her type of cancer and the effect it has done, only 5 of them would survive.
Her chances are slim, but it is important to maintain a positive attitude. It can definitely only help her chances. She needs to keep fighting!
miamigrl24 on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
it means that there isn’t much help for her out of 100% survial rate being good she only has 5% chance which isn’t good at all, I am very sorry to her that I would spend time with her as much as you can, and if the cancer is spreading to far they won’t remove a lung because cancer spreads when air gets to it, and if it’s everywhere they might just make it worse.
chica on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Blood will not have proper oxygenation if either lung will be removed so it doesn’t really mean there’s no point in surgery. You just can’t possibly remove it. I’m not sure about d 5% survival rate. My idea might or might not help. I don’t want to either put you or your friend down, or keep your hopes up.
Diamond on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
5 people out of every 100 survive
I would have thought it higher than that
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Lung
jess4rsake on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
If 20 people are diagnosed with lung cancer only 2 of them will live past the estimated length of time given for the average survival time of most patients following such a diagnosis. 95 percent of that population or the other 18 will have died within the given time period. This is not a good prognosis. I am sorry your friend has this illness and I hope she will be an exception to these statistics.
countryRN27 on June 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Speed dog is correct with the best answer.
Also, exposure to air does not cause cancer to spread. That is fictious information.
CountryRN27 (Marianne)