| The survival rates of lung cancer are based upon | | | | as Asian, American Indian and Hispanic, followed |
| several factors, including the severity of the | | | | white men. Again, the reasons for this difference |
| disease, how far it has spread in the patient's | | | | in survival rate are not entirely clear. |
| body, whether it is small cell or non-small cell and | | | | Smoking contributes not only to the risk of |
| the general health of the patient. Outside factors | | | | developing lung cancer, but also to the chances of |
| like gender and race can also play a part. These | | | | increasing the death rate in those who already |
| numbers are an indication of how many patients | | | | have the disease. Those who smoked before |
| survive for five years or more with the disease, | | | | being diagnosed but were able to quit smoking |
| but do not indicate the type of treatment the | | | | after being diagnosed were twice as likely to |
| patient is receiving or whether the disease was | | | | survive for five years or more than those who |
| cured or merely managed. | | | | did not quit. This may be related to the general |
| The general health of a patient can affect their | | | | health issues related to smoking. In a patient with |
| ability to survive for five years or longer. Those in | | | | lung cancer, the hazardous affects of smoking on |
| good health have a higher rate of survival. In any | | | | the entire body can play into survival rate. |
| form or stage of cancer, a patient who has | | | | No matter how they got lung cancer, a patient's |
| strong, healthy lungs in general will be able to | | | | treatment will play into their chances for survival. |
| survive longer than someone who is unhealthy. | | | | Patients who are able to tolerate treatment have |
| Having other medical conditions unrelated to the | | | | a higher survival rate than those who are too ill to |
| disease can also bring down survival percentages. | | | | get treatment for the disease. |
| Gender may also be a factor in the survival rate. | | | | Other factors have to do more with the lung |
| Women tend to have a higher survival rate than | | | | cancer itself. For example, a patient who has just |
| men in all stages and forms of lung cancer. The | | | | been diagnosed with lung cancer will have a higher |
| overall five-year rate is 16 percent for women | | | | chance of survival than someone who was |
| and 12 percent for men. The reason for this | | | | previously diagnosed. Those with recurring lung |
| disparity is not yet known. Researchers | | | | cancer that has returned after already being |
| understand that cancer is different for women | | | | treated have a lower rate of survival at the |
| than men, but aren't yet sure why. Some have | | | | five-year mark. |
| posited that genetic differences may cause | | | | All of these factors and the corresponding |
| women to be more vulnerable to the disease and | | | | five-year survival rates are approximate however. |
| that the hormone estrogen could somehow | | | | Every patient will be different. Individual factors |
| affect the development of the cancer. | | | | will always come into play when assessing the |
| Another factor in the survival rate equation is | | | | survival of lung cancer. All statistics can do is give |
| race. Black males tend to have the lowest | | | | a general idea of what has occurred to a similar |
| five-year survival of all patients with lung cancer, | | | | group of people. |
| followed by white men. Men of other races, such | | | | |