Survival
Survival depends on many factors. No one can tell you exactly how long you will live.
Below are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case.
Survival statistics for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
There are no UK-wide statistics available for ALL survival. Statistics for people diagnosed with ALL are available for one area of England between 2004 and 2016.
Generally for all people with ALL:
- more than 65 out of 100 people (more than 65%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after being diagnosed
This is for all ages. Younger people tend to do better than older people.
For those younger than 15:
- almost 90 out of 100 (almost 90%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after diagnosis
For those aged between 15 and 39:
- almost 65 out of 100 (almost 65%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after diagnosis
For those who are 40 or older:
- around 20 out of 100 (around 20%) will survive their leukaemia for 5 years or more after diagnosis
Haematological Malignancy Research Network (HMRN)
Accessed June 2021
The HMRN statistics are for estimated 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.
Doctors use the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, third edition (ICD-O-3) to categorise tumours. They use it to code the site of the tumour (where it is in the body) and the sub type (what the cells look like under the microscope - histology or morphology). These survival statistics are for ALL with the following ICD-O-3 codes:
- 9811/3, 9812/3, 9813/3, 9814/3, 9815/3, 9816/3, 9818/3, 9837/3
What affects survival?
Your age affects how well leukaemia responds to treatment. Younger people have a better prognosis.
Outlook for ALL depends on other things such as:
- the specific type of white blood cell the leukaemia affects
- if you have a high number of white blood cells in the blood at diagnosis
- the changes found in the chromosomes or genes of your cancer cells
Some specific genetic abnormalities in your leukaemia cells may make the leukaemia harder to treat successfully. But some changes may make it easier as they might allow treatment to be more targeted.
Your outlook is also affected by how well the leukaemia responds to treatment and how long it takes to get into remission. Remission means that there is no sign of leukaemia in your bone marrow when looked at under a microscope. And the numbers of blood cells have returned to normal.
About these statistics
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
More statistics
For more in-depth information about survival and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, go to our Cancer Statistics section.
