Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBy TypeBy StageBy AgeInfluencing FactorsPerspective
Table of ContentsView All
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Table of Contents
By Type
By Stage
By Age
Influencing Factors
Perspective
Lung cancer survival rates can be as high as 98% for certain cancers diagnosed in an early stage, and as low as 4% for those diagnosed with more aggressive cancers in advanced stages. Survival rates for lung cancer and other types of cancer are usually given as a five-year relative survival rate, which is the percentage of people who are still alive five years after diagnosis.
Survival rates can give you a general idea about the odds of beating lung cancer, but they can’t always predict what will happen to individual lung cancer patients. Many factors contribute to survival, including things like your age, overall health, whether you still smoke, and more.
Survival ratesare a measure of how many people remain alive with a disease after a certain amount of time. For example, a five-year survival rate of 40% for a disease would mean that 40% of people, or 40 out of 100 people, are alive five years after being diagnosed.Median survivalis the amount of time at which 50% of people with a condition 50% are still alive and 50% have died.
Survival ratesare a measure of how many people remain alive with a disease after a certain amount of time. For example, a five-year survival rate of 40% for a disease would mean that 40% of people, or 40 out of 100 people, are alive five years after being diagnosed.
Median survivalis the amount of time at which 50% of people with a condition 50% are still alive and 50% have died.
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There are two basic types oflung cancer: small cell (SCLC), the most aggressive type of lung cancer, and non-small cell (NSCLC), the most common type (which includes several subtypes).
This data tracks five-year relative survival rates for lung cancer based on how far the cancer has spread.
Generally speaking, the earlier your cancer is diagnosed, the greater the chances it can be “cured,” although keep in mind that healthcare providers don’t usually use the word “cure” since there is always a possibility of recurrence.
Your age at the time of diagnosis can also affect your survival.
Factors That Affect Lung Cancer Survival
While this data is useful to a degree, survival rates are statistics and don’t necessarily give an accurate estimate of how long a particular individual will survive with the disease.
How long you can live with lung cancer depends on the type of disease, its stage, and other variables such as:
Important Perspective
Lung cancer treatments and survival rates are improving, and those numbers are very hopeful.
Newer and better drugs have helped improve the odds. Additionally, newer and better categories of drugs are now available to fight the disease. For example, recently, it has been shown that two checkpoint inhibitors (pembrolizumab and nivolumab) may increase the five-year survival of some patients with metastatic NSCLC.
With treatment advancements in mind, you should read long-term statistics with an understanding that being diagnosed with lung cancer today means you have a better chance of survival than those diagnosed in previous decades (which are factored into the overall survival rates).
Summary
Survival rates for people diagnosed with lung cancer have increased over time as treatment options have advanced. As of 2020, the overall five-year survival rate for all lung cancers diagnosed at all stages was 26.7%. Your chances of survival improve with an early diagnosis.
Your age, lifestyle, and health can also contribute to your survival. If you’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer, talk to your oncologist about quitting smoking and adopting healthy habits during and after your treatment.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Cancer Statistics Explorer Network.Lambe G, Durand M, Buckley A, Nicholson S, Mcdermott R.Adenocarcinoma of the lung: from BAC to the future.Insights Imaging. 2020;11(1):69. doi:10.1186%2Fs13244-020-00875-6Schabath MB, Cress D, Munoz-antonia T.Racial and ethnic differences in the epidemiology and genomics of lung cancer.Cancer Control. 2016;23(4):338-346. doi:10.1177/107327481602300405Dutkowska A, Antczak A.Comorbidities in lung cancer.Pneumonol Alergol Pol. 2016;84(3):186-92. doi:10.5603/piap.2016.0022Moffitt Cancer Center.What are the long-term effects of lung cancer treatment?Roberts R, Lewis K.Does smoking after diagnosis of lung cancer matter? Impact of quitting on 1 year survival.Eur Respir J. 2015;46. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.OA269Lou Y, Dholaria B, Soyano A, et al.Survival trends among non-small-cell lung cancer patients over a decade: impact of initial therapy at academic centers.Cancer Med. 2018;7(10):4932-4942. doi:10.1002%2Fcam4.1749National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Lung and bronchus cancer.Additional ReadingNational Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) - Health professional version.Ramalingam S, Dinan M, Crawford J.Survival comparison for patients with stage IV lung cancer treated in academic versus community centers in the United States.J Thorac Oncol. 2018;13(12):1842-1850. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2018.09.007
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Cancer Statistics Explorer Network.Lambe G, Durand M, Buckley A, Nicholson S, Mcdermott R.Adenocarcinoma of the lung: from BAC to the future.Insights Imaging. 2020;11(1):69. doi:10.1186%2Fs13244-020-00875-6Schabath MB, Cress D, Munoz-antonia T.Racial and ethnic differences in the epidemiology and genomics of lung cancer.Cancer Control. 2016;23(4):338-346. doi:10.1177/107327481602300405Dutkowska A, Antczak A.Comorbidities in lung cancer.Pneumonol Alergol Pol. 2016;84(3):186-92. doi:10.5603/piap.2016.0022Moffitt Cancer Center.What are the long-term effects of lung cancer treatment?Roberts R, Lewis K.Does smoking after diagnosis of lung cancer matter? Impact of quitting on 1 year survival.Eur Respir J. 2015;46. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.OA269Lou Y, Dholaria B, Soyano A, et al.Survival trends among non-small-cell lung cancer patients over a decade: impact of initial therapy at academic centers.Cancer Med. 2018;7(10):4932-4942. doi:10.1002%2Fcam4.1749National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Lung and bronchus cancer.Additional ReadingNational Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) - Health professional version.Ramalingam S, Dinan M, Crawford J.Survival comparison for patients with stage IV lung cancer treated in academic versus community centers in the United States.J Thorac Oncol. 2018;13(12):1842-1850. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2018.09.007
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer Statistics Explorer Network.Lambe G, Durand M, Buckley A, Nicholson S, Mcdermott R.Adenocarcinoma of the lung: from BAC to the future.Insights Imaging. 2020;11(1):69. doi:10.1186%2Fs13244-020-00875-6Schabath MB, Cress D, Munoz-antonia T.Racial and ethnic differences in the epidemiology and genomics of lung cancer.Cancer Control. 2016;23(4):338-346. doi:10.1177/107327481602300405Dutkowska A, Antczak A.Comorbidities in lung cancer.Pneumonol Alergol Pol. 2016;84(3):186-92. doi:10.5603/piap.2016.0022Moffitt Cancer Center.What are the long-term effects of lung cancer treatment?Roberts R, Lewis K.Does smoking after diagnosis of lung cancer matter? Impact of quitting on 1 year survival.Eur Respir J. 2015;46. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.OA269Lou Y, Dholaria B, Soyano A, et al.Survival trends among non-small-cell lung cancer patients over a decade: impact of initial therapy at academic centers.Cancer Med. 2018;7(10):4932-4942. doi:10.1002%2Fcam4.1749National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Lung and bronchus cancer.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer Statistics Explorer Network.
Lambe G, Durand M, Buckley A, Nicholson S, Mcdermott R.Adenocarcinoma of the lung: from BAC to the future.Insights Imaging. 2020;11(1):69. doi:10.1186%2Fs13244-020-00875-6
Schabath MB, Cress D, Munoz-antonia T.Racial and ethnic differences in the epidemiology and genomics of lung cancer.Cancer Control. 2016;23(4):338-346. doi:10.1177/107327481602300405
Dutkowska A, Antczak A.Comorbidities in lung cancer.Pneumonol Alergol Pol. 2016;84(3):186-92. doi:10.5603/piap.2016.0022
Moffitt Cancer Center.What are the long-term effects of lung cancer treatment?
Roberts R, Lewis K.Does smoking after diagnosis of lung cancer matter? Impact of quitting on 1 year survival.Eur Respir J. 2015;46. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.OA269
Lou Y, Dholaria B, Soyano A, et al.Survival trends among non-small-cell lung cancer patients over a decade: impact of initial therapy at academic centers.Cancer Med. 2018;7(10):4932-4942. doi:10.1002%2Fcam4.1749
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Lung and bronchus cancer.
National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) - Health professional version.Ramalingam S, Dinan M, Crawford J.Survival comparison for patients with stage IV lung cancer treated in academic versus community centers in the United States.J Thorac Oncol. 2018;13(12):1842-1850. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2018.09.007
National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) - Health professional version.
Ramalingam S, Dinan M, Crawford J.Survival comparison for patients with stage IV lung cancer treated in academic versus community centers in the United States.J Thorac Oncol. 2018;13(12):1842-1850. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2018.09.007
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