Survival
Find out about survival for stomach cancer.
Survival depends on many different factors. It depends on your individual condition, type of cancer, treatment and level of fitness. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live.
These are general statistics based on large groups of patients. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case.
Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis).
Survival by stage
Stage 1
More than 80 out of 100 people (80%) with stage 1A stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Around 70 out of 100 people (70%) with stage 1B stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Stage 2
60 out of 100 people (60%) with stage 2A stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
More than 40 out of 100 people (40%) with stage 2B stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Stage 3
More than 25 out of 100 people (25%) with stage 3A stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Almost 20 out of 100 people (20%) with stage 3B stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Around 10 out of 100 people (10%) with stage 3C stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Stage 4
Around 5 out of 100 people (5%) with stage 4 stomach cancer will survive for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
There are no UK-wide statistics available for stomach cancer survival by stage. The statistics below come from a large 2012 German study, looking at people who had surgery for stomach cancer.
These statistics relate to the number of people who live 5 years or more after their diagnosis of cancer.
The statistics come from the paper below.
Prognostic implications of the seventh edition of the international union against cancer classification for patients with gastric cancer: the Western experience of patients treated in a single-center European institution
D Reim D and others
Journal of Clinical Oncology 2013 Jan 10;31(2):263-71.
Survival for all stages of stomach cancer
For people with stomach cancer in England and Wales:- more than 40 out of 100 people (40%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more
- around 20 out of 100 people (20%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more
- 15 out of 100 people (15%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people will die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival. Statistics provided by the Statistical Information Team at Cancer Research UK.
What affects survival
Your outlook depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread.
The type of cancer and grade of the cancer cells can also affect your likely survival. Grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
Your general health and fitness also affect survival because overall, the fitter you are, the better you may be able to cope with your cancer and treatment.
About these statistics
The term 5 year survival doesn't mean you will only live for 5 years. It relates to the number of people who live 5 years or more after their diagnosis of cancer.
More statistics
For more in-depth information about survival and stomach cancer, go to our Cancer Statistics section.
