Survival statistics for soft tissue sarcoma

Survival statistics for soft tissue sarcoma are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of people, they cannot be used to predict a particular person’s chances of survival.

There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain the statistics for soft tissue sarcoma and what they mean to you.

Net survival represents the probability of surviving cancer in the absence of other causes of death. It is used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive their cancer.

In Canada, the 5-year net survival for soft tissue sarcoma is 61%. This means that about 61% of people diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma will survive at least 5 years.

Survival statistics are not reported in Canada for each type of soft tissue sarcoma.

Survival varies with each stage of soft tissue sarcoma. Generally, the earlier soft tissue sarcoma is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.

Survival by stage of soft tissue sarcoma is reported as 5-year relative survival. Relative survival looks at how likely people with cancer are to survive after their diagnosis compared to people in the general population who do not have cancer, but who share similar characteristics (such as age and sex).

There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages of soft tissue sarcoma. The following information comes from a variety of sources. It includes statistics from other countries that are likely to have similar outcomes as in Canada.

Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:

• your health history
• the type of cancer
• the grade and stage
• where the cancer started in the body
• the treatments chosen
• how the cancer responds to treatment

Only a doctor familiar with these factors can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.