Survival depends on many factors. No one can tell you exactly how long you will live. Below are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case. Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis). You can also talk about this with the Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040, from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. No UK-wide statistics are available for different stages of lung cancer or individual treatments. These figures are for survival by stage in England for people diagnosed between 2013 and 2017. More than 55 out of 100 people (more than 55%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis. Around 35 out of 100 people (around 35%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis. Almost 15 out of 100 people (almost 15%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis. Almost 5 out of 100 people (almost 5%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed. Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019 These figures are for people diagnosed in England between 2013 and 2017. These statistics are for net survival. Net survival estimates the number of people who survive their cancer rather than calculating the number of people diagnosed with cancer who are still alive. In other words, it is the survival of cancer patients after taking into account that some people would have died from other causes if they had not had cancer. Generally for people with lung cancer in England:Survival
by stage
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage
3
Stage 4
Office for National
StatisticsSurvival for
all stages of lung cancer
- around 40 out of every 100 people (around 40%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis
- around 15 out of every 100 people (around 15%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis
- 10 out of every 100 people (10%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis
Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019
Office for National Statistics
These statistics are for net survival. Net survival estimates the number of people who survive their cancer rather than calculating the number of people diagnosed with cancer who are still alive. In other words, it is the survival of cancer patients after taking into account that some people would have died from other causes if they had not had cancer.
What affects survival
Your outcome depends on the type of lung cancer that you have and also the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread.
Your general health and fitness might also affect survival. Doctors call this your performance status. A score of 0 means you are completely able to look after yourself. A score of 1 means you can do most things for yourself but need some help. The scores continue to go up, depending on how much help you need. People with a higher score may have a poorer outlook.
About these statistics
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
For more in-depth information about survival and lung cancer
Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time (usually 5 years) after they were diagnosed. They can’t tell you how long you will live, but they may help give you a better understanding of how likely it is that your treatment will be successful.
Keep in mind that survival rates are estimates and are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had a specific cancer, but they can’t predict what will happen in any particular person’s case. These statistics can be confusing and may lead you to have more questions. Ask your doctor, who is familiar with your situation, how these numbers may apply to you.
What is a 5-year relative survival rate?
A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of cancer to people in the overall population. For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of lung cancer is 60%, it means that people who have that cancer are, on average, about 60% as likely as people who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed.
Where do these numbers come from?
The American Cancer Society relies on information from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer.
The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread. The SEER database, however, does not group cancers by AJCC TNM stages (stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, etc.). Instead, it groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages:
- Localized: There is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the lung.
- Regional: The cancer has spread outside the lung to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
- Distant: The cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the brain, bones, liver, or the other lung.
5-year relative survival rates for non-small cell lung cancer
These numbers are based on people diagnosed with NSCLC between 2011 and 2017.
SEER stage | 5-year relative survival rate |
Localized | 64% |
Regional | 37% |
Distant | 8% |
All SEER stages combined | 26% |
5-year relative survival rates for small cell lung cancer
These numbers are based on people diagnosed with SCLC between 2011 and 2017.
SEER stage | 5-year relative survival rate |
Localized | 29% |
Regional | 18% |
Distant | 3% |
All SEER stages combined | 7% |
Understanding the numbers
- These numbers apply only to the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. They do not apply later on if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back after treatment.
- These numbers don’t take everything into account. Survival rates are grouped based on how far the cancer has spread. But other factors, such as the subtype of NSCLC, gene changes in the cancer cells, your age and overall health, and how well the cancer responds to treatment, can also affect your outlook.
- People now being diagnosed with NSCLC or SCLC may have a better outlook than these numbers show. Treatments have improved over time, and these numbers are based on people who were diagnosed and treated at least five years earlier.
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