Chances for survival vary by stage of breast cancer.
Non-invasive (stage 0) and early stage invasive breast cancers (stages I and II) have a better prognosis than later stage cancers (stages III and IV). And, cancer that has not spread beyond the breast has a better prognosis than cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
The poorest prognosis is for metastatic breast cancer (stage IV), where the cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes to other parts of the body.
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| Breast Cancer Survival Rates |
Overall survival rates
An overall survival rate shows the percentage of people who are alive after a certain period of time after diagnosis of a disease (such as breast cancer).
For example, say the five-year overall survival for women with stage I breast cancer was 90 percent. This would mean that 90 percent of women diagnosed with stage I breast cancer survive at least five years after diagnosis. And, most of these women would live much longer than five years past their diagnoses.
Overall survival varies by breast cancer stage. People diagnosed with stage 0, I or II breast cancers tend to have higher overall survival rates than people diagnosed with stage III or IV breast cancers.
However, overall survival rates are averages and vary depending on each person’s diagnosis and treatment.
Relative survival rates
Relative survival compares survival rates for women with breast cancer to survival rates for women in the general population.
For example, say the five-year relative survival for stage II breast cancer was 85 percent. This would mean that women with stage II breast cancer were, on average, 85 percent as likely as women in the general population to live five years beyond their diagnosis.
Say, the five-year relative survival for women with stage I breast cancer was 100 percent. This would mean that women with stage I breast cancer were, on average, just as likely as women in the general population to live five more years.
As with overall survival, relative survival rates are averages and vary depending on each person’s diagnosis and treatment.
Population survival rates
Summary cancer staging is the most basic way to stage any type of cancer, including breast cancer. It is used to assess survival at the population level.
Summary cancer staging is also called SEER staging because it is used by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, a part of the National Cancer Institute. SEER collects cancer data in the U.S. and compiles national cancer statistics.
SEER breast cancer survival rates are vital to researchers, advocates and policymakers. However, they are less helpful in estimating survival for individuals because the stages are defined so broadly.
Figure 4.8 below shows five-year relative breast cancer survival rates based on SEER staging.
Learn more about the SEER program.
Figure 4.8: Five-year relative breast cancer survival rates based on SEER staging
For example, the five-year relative survival for localized breast cancer is 99 percent. This means women with localized breast cancer are, on average, 99 percent as likely as women in the general population to live five years beyond their diagnoses. These rates are averages and vary depending on a person’s diagnosis and treatment.
Because the categories of summary/SEER staging are defined so broadly, these statistics are more helpful to researchers, advocates and policymakers than to individuals.
The 5-year observed survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after being diagnosed with cancer. Many of these patients live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis.
A relative survival rate (like the numbers below) compares the observed survival with what would be expected for people without the cancer. This helps to correct for the deaths caused by something besides cancer and is a more accurate way to describe the effect of cancer on survival. (Relative survival rates are at least as high as observed survival, and in most cases are higher.)
In order to get 5-year survival rates, doctors have to look at people who were treated at least 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in a more favorable outlook for people now being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Survival rates are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had the disease, but they cannot predict what will happen in any particular person's case. Many other factors may affect a person's outlook, such as your age and health, the presence of hormone receptors on the cancer cells, the treatment received, and how well the cancer responds to treatment. Your doctor can tell you how the numbers below may apply to you, as he or she is familiar with the aspects of your particular situation.
The available statistics do not divide survival rates by all of the substages, such as IA and IB. The rates for these substages are likely to be close to the rate for the overall stage. For example, the survival rate for stage IA is likely to be slightly higher than that listed for stage I, while the survival rate for stage IB would be expected to be slightly lower.
It is also important to realize that these statistics are based on the stage of the cancer when it was first diagnosed. These do not apply to cancers that later come back or spread, for example.
The rates below come from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database. They are based on the previous version of AJCC staging. In that version stage II also included patients that would now be considered stage IB.
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