Survival statistics for laryngeal cancer
Survival statistics for cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of people, they cannot be used to predict a particular person’s chances of survival.
There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain these statistics and what they mean to you.
Net survival
Net survival represents the probability (chance) of surviving cancer in the absence of other causes of death. It is used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive cancer.
In Canada, the 5-year net survival for laryngeal cancer is 65%. This means that, on average, about 65% of people diagnosed with laryngeal cancer will live for at least 5 years.
Survival by stage and location of the tumour
Survival varies depending on the stage and location of the tumour. Generally, the earlier laryngeal cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
The 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who are alive at least 5 years after their cancer diagnosis. But people with this type of cancer may live much longer than 5 years.
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages and types of laryngeal cancer. The following information comes from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. It includes survival rates for laryngeal cancer in the United States and is likely to have similar outcomes as those in Canada. SEER lists survival based on how much the cancer has spread from where it originally started. It uses localized, regional and distant stages instead of the TNM number staging system.
- Localized means there is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the larynx.
- Regional means the cancer has spread outside the larynx to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
- Distant means the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs.
|
SEER stage |
5-year survival |
|---|---|
|
Localized |
60% |
|
Regional |
48% |
|
Distant |
30% |
|
All SEER stages combined |
47% |
|
SEER stage |
5-year survival |
|---|---|
|
Localized |
85% |
|
Regional |
56% |
|
Distant |
48% |
| All SEER stages combined | 78% |
| SEER stage |
5-year survival |
|---|---|
|
Localized |
60% |
|
Regional |
50% |
|
Distant |
45% |
|
All SEER stages combined |
51% |
Questions about survival
Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:
- your health history
- the type of cancer
- certain aspects of the cancer, such as where it started
- the treatments chosen
- how the cancer responds to treatment
Only a doctor familiar with these factors can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.
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