What Percentage of People Survive Cancer? part 2

While 5-year relative survival is useful in monitoring progress in the early detection and treatment of cancer, it does not represent the proportion of people who are cured permanently, since cancer deaths can
occur beyond 5 years after diagnosis. Although relative survival for specific cancer types provides
some indication about the average survival experience of cancer patients in a given population, it may or may not predict individual prognosis and should be interpreted with caution. First, 5-year relative survival rates for the most recent time period are based on patients who were diagnosed from 2002 to 2008 and
thus, do not reflect the most recent advances in detection and treatment. Second, factors that influence survival, such as treatment protocols, other illnesses, and biological and behavioral differences of individual cancers or people, cannot be taken into account in the estimation of relative survival rates. source : Cancer Facts & Figures 2013. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2013