Literature
Statistics
Key Points
- A prognosis gives an idea of the likely course and outcome
of a disease.
- Many factors affect
a person's prognosis,
including the type, location, and stage of the disease,
as well as the
person's age, general health, and response
to treatment.
- Survival
rates indicate
the percentage of people
with a certain
type and stage of cancer who survive
the disease for
a specific period of time after their diagnosis. Survival rates
are based on large groups of people.
- Doctors
cannot be absolutely
certain about
the outcome for a particular
patient. In
fact, a person’s prognosis
may change over
time.
Key Terms
- Incidence: the number of newly diagnosed cases during a specific time period
- Mortality: the number of deaths during a specific time period
- Prevalence: the number of new and pre-existing cases alive on a certain date
- Survival: the proportion of patients alive at some point subsequent to the diagnosis of their cancer
- Lifetime Risk: the probability of developing or dying of cancer
Facing Unknowns
Cancer patients and their loved ones face many unknowns. Some
people find it easier
to cope when they know the statistics. Other people find statistical
information confusing and frightening, and they think it is too
impersonal to be of use to them. The doctor who is most familiar
with a patient’s situation
is in the best position to discuss the prognosis and to explain
what the statistics may mean for that person. At the same time,
it is important to understand that even the doctor cannot tell
exactly what to expect. In fact, a person’s prognosis may
change if the cancer
progresses, or if treatment is successful.
Seeking information about the prognosis is a personal decision.
It is up to each patient
to decide how much
information he or she
wants and how to process
it.
Further Information
An excellent source of information and statistics on liver cancer
is the National Cancer
Institute's site at www.cancer.gov.
Below are direct links
to several sections
relevant to statistics:
