Pancreatic cancer survival statistics
This page contains information on survival rates for pancreatic cancer by sex, age, stage and comparisons with European survival rates.
Pancreatic cancer survival rates
The proportion of people surviving pancreatic cancer is very low, and the length of time between diagnosis and death is typically short, at usually less than six months.
Improvements in palliative care have resulted in better short-term survival for both men and women. Improvements include the use of endoscopic stent placement, effective pain relief and pancreatic enzyme supplementation. One-year relative survival rates have more than doubled since the early 1970s (Figure 3.1).The most recent data for patients diagnosed in England in 2004-2006 show that around 16% survive their disease beyond 12 months after diagnosis. 1-5
Figure 3.2 shows that whilst there has been an small increase in the proportion of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that survive their disease beyond five years after diagnosis, the survival rate is very low at around 3%.1-5
Ten-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with pancreatic are very similar to the five-year rates at around 2% (Figure 3.3).1-5
Figure 3.4 shows that younger pancreatic cancer patients have better survival rates than older patients.
Median survival following surgical resection for pancreatic cancer is of the order of 11-20 months. The five-year survival ranges from 7-25% 6,7. Patients with irresectable locally advanced disease (Stage III) have a median survival of 6-11 months 8. Patients who have metastatic disease have a median survival of only 2-6 months 9.
The EUROCARE-3 study 10 provides age-standardised relative survival rates across many European countries for patients diagnosed during 1991-1994. One-year survival rates for pancreatic cancer in England, Scotland and Wales are lower than the European average and this is statistically significant in England for men and in all three countries for women. The five-year survival rates are lower than the European average but these differences are not significant.
- Share this: Tweet
-
-
- Print this page
-
Email this page
Visit our A-Z topic pages
References for pancreatic cancer survival
- Coleman, M., P. Babb, and P. Damiecki, Cancer Survival Trends in England and Wales, 1971-1995: Deprivation and NHS Region. Vol. 1999: TSO.
- Rachet, B., et al., Population-based cancer survival trends in England and Wales up to 2007:an assessment of the NHS cancer plan for England The Lancet Oncology (2009). Standardised figures were provided by the author on request.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS), Survival Rates in England, patients diagnosed 2001-2006 followed up to 2007
- Richard, MA., Trends and inequalities in survival for 20 cancers in England and Wales 1986-2001: population-based analyses and clinical commentaries. Foreword. Br Journal Cancer, 2008, Vol. 99, Supplement 1, September
- Rachet, B., et al., Population-based cancer survival trends in England and Wales up to 2007:an assessment of the NHS cancer plan for England The Lancet Oncology (2009).
- NYCRIS Key Sites Study. Pancreas Report. Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service: Leeds.
- Richter, A., et al., Long-term results of partial pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head: 25-year experience. World J Surg, 2003. 27(3): p. 324-9.
- Amikura, K., M. Kobari, and S. Matsuno, The time of occurrence of liver metastasis in carcinoma of the pancreas. Int J Pancreatol, 1995. 17(2): p. 139-46.
- Kayahara, M., et al., An evaluation of radical resection for pancreatic cancer based on the mode of recurrence as determined by autopsy and diagnostic imaging. Cancer, 1993. 72(7): p. 2118-23.
- Sant, M., et al. EUROCARE-3: survival of cancer patients diagnosed 1990-94-results and commentary. 2003 Accessed 14 Suppl 5
Increase text
Decrease text
