Lung Cancer Prognosis

What is the prognosis (outcome) of lung cancer?

The prognosis of lung cancer refers to the chance for recovery and is dependent upon the localization and size of the tumor, the presence of symptoms, the type of lung cancer, and the overall health status of the patient.

SCLC has the most aggressive growth of all lung cancers, with a median survival time of only 2-4 months after diagnosis when untreated. (That is, by 2-4 months, half of all patients have died.) However, SCLC is also the type of lung cancer most responsive to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Because SCLC spreads rapidly and is usually disseminated at the time of diagnosis, methods such as surgical removal or localized radiation therapy are less effective in treating this tumor type. However, when chemotherapy is used alone or in combination with other methods, survival time can be prolonged four- to fivefold. Of all patients with SCLC, only 5-10% are alive 5 years after diagnosis. Most of those who survive have limited stage (LS) SCLC.

In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), results of standard treatment are generally poor in all but the most localized cancers that can be surgically removed. However, in Stage I cancers that can be completely removed, the 5-year survival rate can approach 75%. Radiation therapy can produce a cure in a small minority of patients with NSCLC and relief of symptoms in most patients. In advanced-stage disease, chemotherapy offers modest improvements in survival time, although overall survival rates are poor.

Survival rates for lung cancer are generally lower than those for most cancers, with an overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer of about 15% compared to 63% for colon cancer, 88% for breast cancer, and 99% for prostate cancer.