Important Facts for Cancer Five-Year Survival Rate
Definition
Five-year relative survival is the five-year survival experienced by a cohort of cancer patients in the absence of other causes of death. Relative survival takes into account the fact that some cancer patients will die of causes other than their cancer, and is calculated using survival life tables.Numerator
The proportion of observed survivors (all causes of death) in a cohort of cancer patients who survive five years or longerDenominator
The proportion of expected survivors in a comparable cohort of individuals without cancer who survive five years or longerWhy Is This Important?
Nearly 17 million Americans with a previous cancer diagnosis are living in the United States.[https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics ^1^] People are living longer after a cancer diagnosis because of advances in early detection and treatment.[https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/health-care-providers/index.htm ^2^]Healthy People Objective: Increase the proportion of cancer survivors who are living 5 years or longer after diagnosis
U.S. Target: 71.7 percentState Target: 74.6 percent
