Japanese Medical Center Finds Five-Year Survival Rate for Cancer Is 66.4%
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The National Cancer Center Japan recently announced that the five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with cancer from 2010 to 2011 was 66.4%. The statistics were based on data gathered from 318 medical facilities, including core hospitals for treating cancer, regarding around 650,000 patients. Cases of death other than cancer were not included in the calculation of survival rates. A five-year survival rate is one criterion used for treatment. The figure is a 0.3 percentage point increase compared to the survival rate for cancer patients diagnosed from 2009 to 2010. The three-year survival rate for cancer patients diagnosed in 2013 was 72.4%, a 0.3 year-on-year percentage point increase.
| Three-year survival rate | Five-year survival rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 72.4% | 66.4% |
| Stomach | 76.3% | 71.4% |
| Colorectal | 78.6% | 72.6% |
| Liver | 54.2% | 40.4% |
| Lung and tracheal | 51.7% | 41.4% |
| Breast (women) | 95.3% | 92.2% |
| Esophageal | 55.0% | 45.7% |
| Pancreatic | 18.0% | 9.8% |
| Prostate | 99.1% | 98.8% |
| Cervical | 79.0% | 75.0% |
| Uterine | 85.6% | 82.2% |
| Bladder | 72.3% | 68.4% |
| Throat | 85.6% | 80.6% |
| Gallbladder | 34.0% | 29.3% |
| Kidney | 85.5% | 80.1% |
| Renal pelvis and ureter | 56.2% | 49.0% |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from the National Cancer Center Japan.
By cancer type, the five-year survival rate was high, at over 90%, for breast cancer for women and prostate cancer. Pancreatic cancer, in contrast, which is hard to detect at an early stage, had the low survival rates of 18.0% over three years and 9.8% over five years.
The center also released survival rates for different stages of cancer. The figures show that the earlier the stage at which cancer is detected, the higher the survival rate. The different survival rates for each of the five main stages are as listed in the charts below.
The center also analyzed the age of cancer patients in relation to survival rates and found a trend toward lower survival rates among the elderly, with younger patients having higher rates of survival than older patients at the same stage of cancer. One apparent factor underlying this result is that sometimes elderly patients are unable to undergo treatment due to other serious diseases they have contracted or general physical frailty. The center emphasized that the survival rates are just one point of reference, so it is important for patients to consult with doctors who can more clearly ascertain their physical condition.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)