Understanding Cancer Survival Rates — What You Need to Know

The first question most people ask after receiving a cancer diagnosis is, “What’s my prognosis?” A prognosis is a medical term for predicting the possible or expected development of a malignant (cancerous) disease, including:

• Likelihood of survival
• Whether signs and symptoms will improve, worsen, or remain stable
• Expectations of quality of life before, during, and after cancer treatment
• The occurrence of potential complications
• Whether the type of cancer is easy or difficult to treat

Your doctor cannot predict the future, but he or she can make an estimate based on other patients with the same cancer.

What Is a Cancer Survival Rate?

Cancer survival rates, also known …read more