Lung cancer survival statistics

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Survival

Survive lung cancer  for 10 or more years, 2013-2017, England

Age

Age that lung cancer  survival is highest, 2009-2013, England

 

Improvement

Lung cancer survival in the UK has changed little in the last 40 years

 

37.1% of males survive lung cancer for at least one year. This falls to 13.8% surviving for five years or more, as shown by age-standardised net survival for patients diagnosed with lung cancer during 2013-2017 in England.[1] Survival for females at one year is 44.5% and falls to 19.0% surviving for at least five years. Survival for females is higher than for than for males at one year, and higher than for at five years.

Lung Cancer Age-Standardised One-, Five- and Ten-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England, 2013-2017

The bar chart shows one- and five-year net survival and predicted ten-year net survival, with 95% confidence intervals. Open a glossary item
 

Lung cancer survival continues to fall beyond five years after diagnosis. 7.6% of males and 11.3% of females are predicted to survive their disease for ten years or more, as shown by age-standardised net survival for patients diagnosed with lung cancer during 2013-2017 in England.[1]

See also

Cancer survival statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. Office for National Statistics, Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019.

About this data

Data is for England, 2013 - 2017, ICD-10 C67.

Survival statistics give an overall picture of survival and the survival time experienced by an individual patient may be much higher or lower, depending on specific patient and tumour characteristics.

Last reviewed:

Five-year survival for lung cancer is highest in the youngest men and women and decreases with increasing age. Five-year net survival in men ranges from 42% in 15-39 year-olds to 6% in 80-99 year-olds for patients diagnosed with lung cancer in England during 2009-2013.[1] In women, five-year survival ranges from 48% to 7% in the same age groups.

Lung Cancer (C33-C34), Five-Year Net Survival by Age, England, 2009-2013

See also

Lung cancer incidence statistics by age

Lung cancer mortality statistics by age

Cancer survival statistics by age for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Office for National Statistics. Cancer survival in England: adults diagnosed in 2009 to 2013, followed up to 2014. Newport: ONS; 2015.

About this data

Data is for: England, 2009-2013, ICD-10 C33-C34

Last reviewed:

One-year age-standardised Open a glossary itemnet survival for lung cancer in men has increased from 16% during 1971-1972 to 30% during 2010-2011 in England and Wales – an absolute survival difference Open a glossary item of 14 percentage points.[1] In women, one-year survival has increased from 15% to 35% over the same time period (a difference of 20 percentage points).

Lung Cancer (C33-C34), Age-Standardised One-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-2011

Unlike the majority of cancers, five- and ten-year survival for lung cancer has not shown much improvement since the early 1970s. Five-year age-standardised net survival for lung cancer in men has increased from 5% during 1971-1972 to a predicted survival of 8% during 2010-2011 in England and Wales – an absolute survival difference of 4 percentage points.[1] In women, five-year survival has increased from 4% to 12% over the same time period (a difference of 7 percentage points).

Lung Cancer (C33-C34), Age-Standardised Five-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-2011

Five-year survival for 2010-2011 is predicted using an excess hazard statistical model

Ten-year age-standardised net survival for lung cancer in men has shown no significant increase between 1971-1972 and 2010-2011 in England and Wales.[1] In women, ten-year survival has increased from 3% to 7% over the same time period (a difference of 4 percentage points). Overall, 5% of people diagnosed with lung cancer today are predicted to survive their disease for at least ten years.

Lung Cancer (C33-C34), Age-Standardised Ten-Year Net Survival, (Aged 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-2011

Ten-year survival for 2005-2006 and 2010-2011 is predicted using an excess hazard statistical model

See also

Lung cancer incidence trends over time

lung cancer mortality trends over time

Cancer survival trends over time for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on request, 2014.

About this data

Data is for: England and Wales, 1971-2011, ICD-10 C33-C34

Last reviewed:

Survival for lung cancer is strongly related to the stage of the disease at diagnosis. 

One-year net survival by stage

One-year net survival for lung cancer is highest for patients diagnosed at Stage 1, and lowest for those diagnosed at Stage 4, as 2013-2017 data for England show.[1] 88% of patients diagnosed at Stage 1 survived their disease for at least one year, compared to 19% of patients diagnosed at Stage 4.[1]

One year net survival for unknown or missing stage is 29%, while one year survival for unstageable cancer is 52%. Lack of staging information may in some cases reflect advanced stage at diagnosis as very unwell patients may not undergo staging tests if the invasiveness of the testing outweighs the potential benefit of obtaining stage information. Incomplete staging assessment may also be associated with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the patient [2]. Stage completeness for lung cancer was 92% in 2013-2017 [1].

For patients diagnosed at Stages 1 to 4, one-year net survival is significantly higher for females than for males. At Stage 1 survival for females is 90%, whereas for males survival is 85% (an absolute difference of around 4 percentage points). One-year net survival is also significantly higher for females at Stage Unknown. [1]

Lung cancer one-year net survival by stage, with incidence by stage (all data: adults diagnosed 2013-2017, followed up to 2018)

Five-year net survival by stage

Five-year net survival is higher at Stages 1 to 4 for females compared to males. At Stage 1 survival for females is 62% compared to 51% for males, an absolute difference of around 10 percentage points. Five-year net survival in females drops from 62% when diagnosed at Stage 1 to 3% when diagnosed at Stage 4 (an absolute difference of 58 percentage points). [1]

Lung cancer five-year net survival by stage, with incidence by stage (all data: adults diagnosed 2013-2017, followed up to 2018)

References

  1. Office for National Statistics, Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019.
  2. Girolamo, C. et al, Characteristics of patients with missing information on stage: a population-based study of patients diagnosed with a colon, lung or breast cancer in England in 2013, BMC Cancer (2018) 18:492
     

About this data

Data is for: England, 2013 - 2017, ICD-10 C33 and C34.

Survival statistics give an overall picture of survival but the survival time experienced by an individual patient may be much higher or lower, depending on specific patient and tumour characteristics.

Last reviewed:

Analyses of lung cancer survival rates by socio-economic deprivation in England and Wales have recorded a small but significant gap of 1.4% between men in the most affluent groups and those in the most deprived groups diagnosed with lung cancer during 1996-99. Although this difference is seemingly small, because of the large numbers of patients involved, this has an important consequence.[1]

An earlier analysis based on all lung cancer patients diagnosed between 1986-90 estimated that 1,300 deaths would have been avoided if every socio-economic group had the same survival rate as that for the most affluent group.[2]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Lung cancer incidence statistics by socio-economic variation

Lung cancer mortality statistics by socio-economic variation

Cancer survival statistics by socio-economic group

References

  1. Coleman MP, Rachet B, Woods LM, et al. Trends and socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival in England and Wales up to 2001. Br J Cancer 2004;90(7):1367-73.
  2. Coleman MP, Babb P, Sloggett A, et al. Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival in England and Wales. Cancer 2001;91(I Suppl):208-16.

About this data

See source for ICD codes and other data specifics

Last reviewed:

Five-year relative survival for lung cancer in men in England (8%) is below the average for Europe (12%). Wales (8%) and Scotland (8%) are also below the European average but Northern Ireland (11%) is similar to the European average.[1] Across the European countries for which data is available, five-year relative survival in men ranges from 5% (Bulgaria) to 15% (Austria).[1] 

Five-year relative survival for lung cancer in women in England (10%) is below the average for Europe (16%). Wales (10%), Scotland (9%) and Northern Ireland (12%) are also below the European average.[1] Across the European countries for which data is available, five-year relative survival in women ranges from 9% (Scotland) to 20% (Austria).[1] 

Lung Cancer (C33.9, C34), Age-Standardised Five-Year Relative Survival, Adults (Aged 15+), European Countries, 2000-2007

Data consists of both observed and predicted 5-year relative survival. Where sufficient follow-up was not available for recently diagnosed patients the period approach was used to predict 5-year cohort survival.

Possible explanations for persistent international differences in survival include differences in cancer biology, use of diagnostic tests and screening, stage at diagnosis, access to high-quality care, and data collection practices.[1]

See also

Cancer diagnosis and treatment

Lung cancer incidence

References

  1. De Angelis R, Sant M, Coleman MP, et al. Cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007 by country and age: results of EUROCARE-5 - a population-based study. Lancet Oncol 2014;15:23-34

About this data

Data is for: 29 European countries, patients diagnosed in 2000-2007 and followed up to 2008, lung, bronchus and trachea cancer (C33.9, C34).

Last reviewed:

Cancer stats explained

See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

Cancer stats explained

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.