Life Expectancy Lung Cancer

There are several variables to life expectancy lung cancer, mainly depending on the type of lung cancer and the stage the cancer was at when it was diagnosed.

The term 'life expectancy', when used medically, refers to the average percentage of people who survive for a certain period pf time, from the date they were diagnosed. With most cancers, this time period is five years. Survival rate only refers to those who are still alive at this time; it doesn't represent statistics on cure, remission or treatments.

Oncologists use the TNM system when describing cancers, and use this system to base the 4 stages of a cancer on. The T stands for the actual tumor, referring to its size and shape; the N stands for lymph nodes, whether the tumor has spread to them and which ones are impacted; and the M stands for whether the tumor has metastasized or spread to other parts of the body. The T, N and M are numbered and used to describe the attributes of each; a T2, for example, is a tumor that is larger than 3 cm; N1 means the tumor has spread to nodes that are close to the original site; M1 means that the tumor has metastasized, or spread, outside the original lung.

For those who are diagnosed with lung cancer while it is still contained in one lung or in its early stages, the survival rate at five years is around 50%. Early stage lung cancers, referred to as Stage 1 cancers, have a greater chance of being controlled with treatments. Surgery is an option in Stage 1 cancers and if the all the cancerous cells are removed, the prognosis is good.

Because lung cancer has no unique symptoms, most cancers are picked up during the investigation of other symptoms, which may or may not be associated with lung cancer. Sometimes, lung cancer is detected during a routine health check up that involves a chest x-ray. It is therefore not surprising that 40% of patients already have a lung cancer that has progressed to Stage 4 by the time they are diagnosed.

At Stage 4, the survival rate is severely diminished, with life expectancy lung cancer at five years being lower than 10%. There are certain variables to this statistic, which include:

• The type of lung cancer
• The location of the lung cancer
• The age and sex of the patient
• The patient's general health
• How the patient responds to treatment
• Other conditions which the patient suffers from
• If any complications occur

Most of these points are self explanatory; it is fairly obvious that a person, who is in good general health and has no other medical conditions, has a better chance of survival than someone who falls into the opposite category.

Another variable is the statistics themselves. The statistics that are being used at any one time are usually a few years old, and there are new advances being made in the diagnoses and treatment of lung cancers all the time. The actual statistics at the time you are diagnosed with cancer could actually be more encouraging.

It is also important to remember that while a Stage 4 lung cancer cannot at this time be cured, it can be treated. Treatment is basically aimed at improving the effects of the symptoms to improve the quality of life of patients.