Trends in Survival Rates of Patients with Cancer

Abstract

Reports on survival of patients with cancer issued by the National Cancer Institute indicate marked improvement for almost all forms of cancer from the 1940's to the 1950's. Subsequently, prognosis for patients with forms of cancer accounting for approximately 42 per cent of all cancers continued to improve, although at a slower rate. For cancers of the lung, colon, rectum, stomach and pancreas, little improvement in patient survival during the 1960's was observed, and for women with invasive cervical cancer, survival rates decreased slightly. One-year survival results for patients with diagnoses made during 1970–71 suggest that improvement in five-year survival observed during the 1960's for many forms of cancer will be sustained. Continued reporting of survival for patients treated in the 1970's would ultimately demonstrate the degree of effectiveness of recently introduced therapeutic procedures. (N Engl J Med 293:122–124, 1975)