Cancer patients' survival rate increased significantly in past decade

Cancer patients’ chances of survival increased significantly in the past decade, according to figures from the Dutch Cancer Registry, managed by the Integrated Cancer Center of the Netherlands (IKNL). More cancer patients are still alive five years after the first diagnosis. More people also survive ten years after cancer, NOS reports.

The IKNL compared the survival figures between 2011 and 2020 to the ten years before. The proportion of cancer patients who are still alive five years after diagnosis increased from 58 percent to 66 percent and ten years after diagnosis from 51 to 59 percent.

According to the IKNL, the increased chance of survival is due to better diagnoses and treatments.

The chances of survival are highest for breast, prostate, and skin cancers. At least 75 percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. That also applies to people with certain types of lymphoma.

The chances of surviving pancreatic cancer are much lower. Only 5 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are alive five years after diagnosis. The same goes for patients with a metastasized tumor whose exact location in the body is unknown. Lung and esophageal cancer are also difficult to treat, with a five-year survival rate of less than 30 percent.