Cancer statistics is the term given to collecting, organizing and interpreting numerical data such that information can be gathered as an inference by analyzing a sample and relating this to the population.

A cancer patient’s prognosis is predicted by using cancer statistics. Prognosis is something that is discussed between cancer patients and their doctors which will give the patient an idea of the most probable outcome of their cancer condition (whether they might fully recover or whether they might have the cancer returning).

There are several important factors that could affect a patients’ prognosis, such as: type of the cancer, location of the cancer, the extent to which the cancer has spread, the abnormality of the cancer cells and growth rate of the cancer.

Other external factors that can also affect the prognosis of the patient are the patient’s age, normal health condition and how the patient responds to the treatment given.

The cancer statistics available to the doctors are carefully considered before a doctor discusses a patient’s prognosis, because these cancer statistics are collected by researches on various cancer patients over years.

The doctor has to be careful, when analyzing the cancer statistics, to consider the cancer statistics that are most similar to the patient- especially when it involves the factors affecting a patient’s prognosis.

If there is a male patient of the age 44, who was a heavy drinker, when basing this particular patient’s prognosis, the doctor will take into consideration, for example, the cancer statistics that are available of cancer patients in the age group of 40 – 50, who are males and who were heavy drinkers.

Survival Rate- the percentage of cancer patients who have survived for a certain period of time after being diagnosed, with a certain type of cancer that has spread to a certain extent; The five year survival rate- the percentage of people who are still alive after five years from their initial diagnosis whether they have no symptoms of cancer, have few cancer symptoms or are either completely free of cancer or undergoing treatment; and Recurrence-free survival rate- shows how long a once cancer patient would survive free of the disease, rather than until death, are some of the commonly used cancer statistics.

The SEER cancer statistics review produced by the National Cancer Institute, for the American public, reports the latest cancer incidents researched.The recent edition of the cancer statistics review contains statistics from the year 1975 to 2005, and this is the most up to date edition.

Other countries such as the United Kingdom also publish their own Cancer fact reports, usually free for the public.

Cancer statistics are also useful for University students studying, for example Oncology and other research groups; hence it is extremely gratifying that cancer statistics reports such as those mentioned above are available for the public for free; as they improve public awareness of the dreaded disease- cancer. Read more other articles about breast cancer stage and pancreatic cancer symptoms.

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