"Five Year Survival Rates . . ." what are the accurate statistics?
The Good News and not so Good News
Six years after diagnosis, this patient is considered "cured." He is getting on with his life and is a talented musician, devoting a lot of time to raising money for kids-with-cancer.
Statistics vary on "cancer cure" which are usually measured over a five year period from the diagnosis.
Here are some:
| 2010 Statistics | Estimated new cases | Estimated deaths |
| Hodgkin's lymphoma | 8,490 | 1,320 |
| Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma | 65,540 | 20,210 |
| Total lymphomas | 74,030 | 21,530 |
| Acute lymphocytic leukemia | 5,330 | 1,420 |
| Chronic lymphocytic leukemia | 14,990 | 4,390 |
| Acute myeloid leukemia | 12,330 | 8,950 |
| Chronic myeloid leukemia | 4,870 | 440 |
| Other leukemia | 5,530 | 6,640 |
| Total leukemias | 43,050 | 21,840 |
| TOTALS | 117,080 | 43,370 |
General Statistics
Leukemia accounts for about 33% of cancer cases in children aged 0-14
- An estimated 1,340 cancer deaths are expected to occur among children aged 0-14 in 2010—about one-third of them from leukemia.
- Leukemia is the leading cause of death by disease in children and young adults between the ages of 0 and 20
- The 5-year survival rate for childhood leukemia is more than 90%. for the most common form.
- Leukemia is diagnosed 10 times more often in adults than in children.
- Due to advances in treatment, there has been a dramatic improvement in survival for people with acute lymphocytic leukemia, from a 5-year relative survival rate of 42% in 1975 to 1977 to 66% in 1999 to 2005. Survival rates for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia have increased from 58% to 89% over the same time period.
- Since the early 1970s, incidence rates for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have nearly doubled.
- The 1-year relative survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are 92% and 80% respectively; the 5-year rates are markedly lower at 85% and 67%; 10-year survival is 81% and 56% respectively.
- Blood cancer does not discriminate; it can effect any age, any race, any gender, any time.Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the 5th most common cancer in the US.
- An estimated 10,000 - 15,000 new cases of MDS will be diagnosed this year. Most patients with MDS are older than 60 years of age. The number of new cases seems to be going up, perhaps because our population is getting older and there are more cancer survivors who have had chemotherapy, an important risk factor for MDS.
- Every day 118 are diagnosed with leukemia and 60 lose the fight
- Every day 203 Americans are diagnosed with lymphoma and 59 lose the fight.
- Leukemia strikes males and females of all ages and all races. It does not discriminate.
Sandsie's Comment:
What will happen in the next twenty years of a "cured" leukemia patient's life?
It depends on many variables . . . For example
Genetic coding: Question: Are siblings likely to have the same diagnosis in their lifetime? Answer: Depends on genetic coding. Maybe, maybe not.
Type of initial oncology response at original diagnosis -- e.g., those patients that were given radiation are likely to have life challenging health problems.
Complications on initial diagnosis: Avascular Necrosis (caused by chemo' and/ over-use of steroids), Mucormycosis (usually fatal complication of patients with compromised immune systems), Cushing's Syndrome (over-use of steroids.)
Remember that by the time patients start to show relapse symptoms, they are usually at Stage IV.
Complications on initial diagnosis: Avascular Necrosis (caused by chemo' and/ over-use of steroids), Mucormycosis (usually fatal complication of patients with compromised immune systems), Cushing's Syndrome (over-use of steroids.)
ALERT-WATCHFULNESS IS REQUIRED FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS.
Remember that by the time patients start to show relapse symptoms, they are usually at Stage IV.
CLINICAL PRACTICE
Adult Primary Care after Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
N Engl J Med 2011; 365:1417-1424October 13, 2011
KEY CLINICAL POINTS
TREATING ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer, and 5-year survival rates in the United States have exceeded 70% for over two decades.
Adult survivors of childhood leukemia have increased risks of secondary cancers, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses, largely secondary to therapies for childhood cancer.
Clinicians caring for adult survivors of childhood leukemia should
• Request a treatment summary from the treating oncologist, a pediatric oncology program, or a local “survivor clinic.”• Be aware that adults who received cranial radiotherapy as a component of treatment have increased risks of secondary tumors, stroke, growth hormone deficiency, and neurocognitive deficits.• Check BMI, blood pressure, and lipids, since survivors of ALL have increased risks of obesity and associated metabolic derangements.• Consider bone-density testing, since peak bone density is often reduced after childhood exposure to high-dose glucocorticoids and other therapies.• Screen for left ventricular dysfunction in survivors who received anthracycline therapy, particularly if there was a high cumulative dose or treatment was before the age of 5 years.
Another
Origins of “late” relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with TEL-AML1 fusion genes
- Anthony M. Ford,
- Karin Fasching,
- E. Renate Panzer-Grümayer,
- Margit Koenig,
- Oskar A. Haas, and
- Mel F. Greaves
. . .
"Given the few patients we have studied, our conclusions are necessarily speculative. Nevertheless, they provide a plausible explanation for puzzling clinical observations in childhood ALL and should encourage further molecular scrutiny of patients who are in sustained complete remission after the cessation of therapy or who relapse.
The “premalignant” interpretation we favor for at least some cases of relapse in ALL may be applicable to some other cancers, such as ovarian and testicular cancer.
Some of these patients have good prognosis characteristics but unexpectedly relapse many years after initial diagnosis. They are then very responsive clinically, and have good eventual prognosis."
Sandsie's Comment:
Any initial diagnosis of a malignancy is a grim diagnosis. The news is both good and bad in many instances.
The Key to "longevity" as used by Austin (yes! a big word for a young man) is again:
ALERT-WATCHFULNESS IS REQUIRED FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS.
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