Survival statistics for multiple myeloma
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 multiple myeloma is 50%. This means that about 50% of people diagnosed with multiple myeloma will survive for at least 5 years.
Survival by stage
Survival varies with each stage of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma often responds to treatment in the beginning, but in most cases the disease comes back (relapses). There are many available treatments for multiple myeloma, so when a treatment stops working doctors will try another one.
Survival by stage of multiple myeloma is reported as a 5-year overall survival. Overall survival is also called observed survival. It is the percentage of people with a certain type of cancer who are expected to live for at least a specified period of time after their diagnosis. Doctors often use the overall or observed survival rate when they talk about a prognosis.
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages of multiple myeloma. The following information comes from a variety of sources and may include statistics from other countries. It’s also important to note that treatment for multiple myeloma has greatly improved over the years, so these statistics may not reflect outcomes of current treatments.
|
Revised International Staging System (R-ISS) stage |
Overall survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
80% |
|
2 |
70% |
|
3 |
48% |
| 4 | 24% |
Questions about survival
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, such as chromosome changes
- 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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