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Life ExpectancySome survivors worry about whether cancer has affected their life expectancy- how long they will live after cancer treatment. Talking with your health care team can help you understand how cancer can affect life expectancy. Life Expectancy: Detailed InformationThis information is meant to be a general introduction to this topic. The purpose is to provide a starting point for you to become more informed about important matters that may be affecting your life as a survivor and to provide ideas about steps you can take to learn more. This information is not intended nor should it be interpreted as providing professional medical, legal and financial advice. You should consult a trained professional for more information. Please read the Suggestions and Additional Resources documents for questions to ask and for more resources Everyone responds to treatment differently. There is no way to know in advance how effective cancer treatment will be. There is also no way to know how long anyone will live—with or without cancer. Some survivors want to know right away about the chances of surviving their specific type and stage of cancer. Others begin talking to their loved ones and health care team about life expectancy during treatment. Some survivors focus on quality of life issues instead of cancer treatment. Still others choose never to talk about these things with anyone. You have the right to choose to discuss or not discuss the issue of life expectancy. The health care team and your loved ones may wait for you to bring up the topic of life expectancy. Others might ask you to talk with them about it. You have the right to tell them if you are not comfortable discussing this matter. It is important to do your cancer journey the way that works best for you. How are statistics about cancer used to define life expectancy? Statistics are numbers and percentages that reflect research and measurements of historical data. Statistics about life expectancy or survival rates are often based on a group of survivors who participated in a study where their health status was observed and recorded. Most of these studies took place at least five or 10 years earlier. You may have received a completely different treatment or different amounts of chemotherapy or radiation than they gave a few years ago. Statistics that your health care team shares with you should be related to:
By using these factors, your health care team is in a better position to talk to you about life expectancy and how to best manage your life after cancer. The numbers do not take into consideration your unique physical and emotional characteristics. There are many factors that can affect your life expectancy. The statistics used to estimate your life expectancy should be used as very general guidelines. They are not exact calculations of how long you are going to live. What does survival rate mean? Knowing about survival rates can give you a general idea about how long other survivors with your type of cancer have lived. Yet, your experience may be very different. Survival rates are only estimates. Many survivors prove them wrong. Survival estimates are based on the experiences of survivors in studies done during and after treatment. There is no way of knowing how estimates will apply to your situation. Your treatment may be very different from the method used many years ago in a study. Medications may have changed. There may be new ways of doing radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The life expectancy for a specific type of cancer is often reported as a five-year survival rate. This does not mean that survivors do not live more than five years. Some studies only follow up with survivors for that long. In addition, the concern about cancer recurring generally lessens after five years. Survival rates are usually stated as a percentage. A doctor might say, "People with this type of cancer generally have a 60 percent five-year survival rate." This means that 60 out of 100 people who were treated for this type of cancer during the research studies were still living after five years. Cancer survivors often live much longer than these estimates. Every cancer survivor is different. Most importantly, you are not a statistic! When is the best time to talk with the health care team about life expectancy? There is no right or wrong time to discuss life expectancy with a member of your health care team. Because all of the statistics and information can be overwhelming, you might want to set up a separate visit. This allows you and a member of your health care team time to discuss the information. Many survivors begin talking to their health care team about life expectancy when they finish their treatment and begin focusing on their quality of life after cancer. This is also a good time to discuss with your health care team how to minimize your risks for late effects of treatment. Experiencing side effects from treatment for cancer later in life may affect your life expectancy and your quality of life. Finding Support Life expectancy numbers are only estimates. They cannot predict how long you are going to live. Yet, receiving this information may be confusing. If you feel worried, set up a separate meeting to discuss your concerns with your doctor. This will allow both of you time enough time to talk until your questions are answered. Your doctor can also refer you to a licensed counselor or social worker for help dealing with the stress of cancer. Some counselors specialize in working with cancer patients and their loved ones. Many survivors find that it helps to share thoughts and feelings with others who are in a similar situation. If this interests you, find out about cancer support groups in your area. Keep in mind that each group may have a unique way of offering support. You may want to try several before deciding if one fits your needs better than others A survivor may feel very upset if told that there is not a high survival rate for his or her type of cancer. Hearing this type of news can be overwhelming. Talking with loved ones, trusted friends, a social worker or a faith-based counselor may help. This document was produced in collaboration with: Pamela J. Haylock, RN, MA Works Cited Harpham, W.S. (2003). Diagnosis: Cancer. Your Guide to the First Months of Healthy Survivorship, 3rd edition. New York, W.W. Norton & Company. Munro, B.H. (2001). Statistical methods for health care research, 4th edition. Life Expectancy: SuggestionsThe suggestions that follow are based on the information presented in the Detailed Information document. They are meant to help you take what you learn and apply the information to your own needs. This information is not intended nor should it be interpreted as providing professional medical, legal and financial advice. You should consult a trained professional for more information. Please read the Additional Resources document for links to more resources.
Life Expectancy: Additional ResourcesThe resources listed below provide more detailed information and support services to help you with life expectancy. Please read the Detailed Information and Suggestions document for more information and questions to ask. LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare Program Email: Send email through the LIVESTRONG website. LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare offers assistance to anyone affected by cancer, including the person diagnosed, loved ones, caregivers and friends. The program provides information about treatment options and matching to clinical trials or treatments in development. Counseling services and assistance with financial, employment and insurance issues are also available. To provide these services, LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare has partnered with several organizations including CancerCare, Patient Advocate Foundation and EmergingMed.
American Cancer Society (ACS) Email: Submit questions in English or Spanish from the "Contact Us" page. The American Cancer Society (ACS) offers information about many of the challenges of cancer and survivorship. You can search for information by cancer type or by topic. ACS provides a list of support groups in your area. You can join online groups and message boards. Some information on the website is available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. ACS specialists can answer questions 24 hours a day by phone or email.
Cancer Hope Network Email: info@cancerhopenetwork.org Cancer Hope Network is a not-for-profit organization that provides free and confidential one-on-one support to cancer patients and their families. They offer support by matching cancer patients or family members with trained volunteers who have already undergone and recovered from a similar cancer experience. You can submit your request by phone or by email. A volunteer will try to contact you within 24 hours.
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) Email: info@canceradvocacy.org The NCCS website provides comprehensive information on a wide range of cancer topics. These include managing the side effects of cancer treatment, controlling pain, understanding clinical trials, maintaining good nutrition and exercise habits, getting the most out of your health insurance coverage and addressing employment issues. The NCCS also offers the Cancer Survival Toolbox, a free audio program created to help people develop skills to help with communicating, decision making, problem solving, finding information, negotiating, and standing up for your rights. They also offer a variety of publications that can be ordered free of charge. Information on the NCCS website is available in Spanish, and the Cancer Survival Toolbox is available in both Spanish and Chinese. |
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