Survival statistics for soft tissue sarcoma
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 personʼs 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. Itʼs used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive cancer.
In Canada, the 5-year net survival for soft tissue sarcoma is 63%. This means that, on average, about 63% of people diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma will survive for at least 5 years.
Survival statistics are not reported in Canada for each type of soft tissue sarcoma.
Survival by stage
Survival varies with each stage of soft tissue sarcoma. Generally, the earlier soft tissue sarcoma is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
Survival by stage of soft tissue sarcoma is reported as a 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 don’t have cancer, but who share similar characteristics (such as age and sex).
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages of soft tissue sarcoma. The following information comes from a variety of sources. It includes statistics from other countries that are likely to have similar outcomes as those in Canada.
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
localized – cancer is in only one area of the body |
83% |
|
regional – cancer has grown into nearby areas around where it started |
60% |
|
metastatic (distant) – cancer has spread to other parts of the body |
17% |
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 aspects of the cancer, such as the grade
- 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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