Dr. Dino Prato explains why the American Cancer Society's 70% five-year survival rate for all cancers masks a darker reality. Metastatic cancers have far lower survival rates: 12% for colorectal, 10% for lung, 30% for breast, and 5% for pancreatic cancer. The aggregate number is heavily weighted by early-stage cases.
The American Cancer Society reported that 5-year relative survival for cancers combined reached 70% for people diagnosed between 2015 and 2021. On the surface, that sounds incredible, but here's the statistical lie: early-stage cancers dominate that average. But what happens when the cancer spreads? Here are the numbers they bury in their footnotes. Metastatic survival rates: colorectal cancer, it's like 12%. Lung cancer 10%, breast cancer can be 30%, pancreatic around 5%. These aren't great numbers. If you have a metastatic cancer, these numbers aren't for you, and I don't want you to follow the numbers because you are not a one-size-fits-all.
