Survival statistics for uterine cancer

Survival statistics for uterine cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of women, they cannot be used to predict a particular woman’s chances of survival.

There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain the statistics for uterine cancer and what they mean to you.

Net survival represents the probability 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 their cancer.

In Canada, the 5-year net survival for uterine cancer is 82%. This means that about 82% of women diagnosed with uterine cancer will survive for at least 5 years.

Survival varies with each type or subtype of tumour and the stage of uterine cancer. The grade of the cancer can also affect survival for uterine cancer.

Generally, the earlier uterine cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome. Uterine cancer is usually diagnosed early and can be completely removed by surgery.

Survival by stage of uterine cancer is reported as 5-year observed survival. Observed survival is the percentage of people with a particular cancer who are alive for a specified period of time after their diagnosis and is based on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. However, observed survival does not consider the cause of death, so people could have died from cancer or from other causes.

There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages and types of uterine cancer. The information for endometrial carcinoma and carcinosarcoma comes from the National Cancer Institute’s database.

The following information for uterine sarcoma comes from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) program. SEER uses these summary stages for uterine sarcoma survival statistics:

• Localized corresponds to stage 1.
• Regional includes stages 2 and 3.
• Distant includes stages 4A and 4B.

Survival for uterine sarcoma is reported as 5-year relative survival. Relative survival looks at how likely people with cancer are to survive after their diagnosis compared to people in the general population who do not have cancer, but who share similar characteristics (such as age and sex).

Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:

• your health history
• the type of cancer
• the stage
• certain characteristics of the cancer
• 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.