Survival statistics for thyroid cancer
Survival statistics for thyroid 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 the statistics for thyroid cancer and what they mean to you.
Net survival
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 thyroid cancer is 97%. This means that, on average, about 97% of people diagnosed with thyroid cancer will survive for at least 5 years.
Survival by stage and type of tumour
Survival varies with each stage and type of thyroid cancer. The following factors can also affect survival for thyroid cancer.
- Generally, the earlier thyroid cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
- There are effective treatments available for thyroid cancer.
- Papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type of thyroid cancer, often responds well to cancer treatment.
- Papillary thyroid cancer tends to grow slowly.
Survival by stage and type of tumour for thyroid cancer 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).
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages of thyroid cancer. The following information comes from a variety of sources and may include statistics from other countries.
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
localized (cancer is only in the thyroid) |
100% |
|
regional (cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes) |
98% |
|
distant (cancer has spread to organs in another part of the body) |
54% |
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
100% |
|
2 |
100% |
|
3 |
93% |
|
4 |
51% |
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
100% |
|
2 |
100% |
|
3 |
71% |
|
4 |
50% |
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
100% |
|
2 |
98% |
|
3 |
81% |
|
4 |
28% |
Anaplastic thyroid cancer survival
All anaplastic thyroid cancers are stage 4. The 5-year relative survival is about 7%.
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
- 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.