Lung Cancer Prognosis by Stages

Lung cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Because the initial symptoms are not specific to this type of cancer, the disease is often diagnosed at a late stage when the chances of a cure are much slimmer.

Staging Lung Cancer

• The staging of lung cancer takes into account the size of the tumor, whether it has invaded any lymph nodes or major organs in the chest in the chest, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.

Life Expectancy Standard

• Life expectancy is usually expressed as five-year survival rates; in other words, how many people with this stage of lung cancer would still be alive in five years.

Life Expectancy by Stage for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

• This is the most common type of cancer. The 5-year survival rates are: Stage 1--60 to 70 percent; Stage 2--30 to 40 percent; Stage 3--10 to 30 percent; Stage 4--two percent or less.

Life Expectancy for Small Cell Lung Cancer

• For small-cell lung cancer, there are only two stages: limited, with a five-year survival rate of 20 percent. Patients with extensive disease are considered incurable, with a two-year survival rate of less than five percent.

What the Numbers Mean

• Every individual is different. Statistics of life expectancy look at averages across a whole population of patients, but we've all heard of patients who sometimes "defy the odds" and live longer than what the numbers predict. Your general health before the diagnosis and the particular behavior of your tumor will help your doctor give you a better estimate of life expectancy than statistical equations can.