There are certainly some cancers that are more difficult to treat and harder to survive. But there is some good news about survival rates of cancers overall.
According to The American Cancer Society’s 2024 Annual Report, the five-year relative survival rate of all cancers has increased substantially across all cancers since the early 1960s. For white Americans the rate has jumped from 39% to 69%. And from 27% to 65% among African Americans.
The five-year relative survival rate, according to the National Cancer Institute, means the percentage of individuals, who are alive five years after being diagnosed with the disease.
Cancers with the lowest five-year relative survival rates according to the American Cancer Society are pancreatic cancer at 13%, esophagus cancer at 22%, liver cancer at 22%, lung cancer at 25%, brain cancer at 34% and stomach cancer at 33%.
The main reason is because these are the hardest cancers to cure and often caught at later stages.
Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer typically has no symptoms in the early stages, making it hard to diagnose until the disease has advanced. Treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy may extend a patient’s life, but the chance of cure is low. Fewer than 20% of pancreatic cancer patients are surgery candidates because the cancer has typically spread at time of diagnosis.
Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal cancer is hard to treat because it is often diagnosed at a later stage.
Another reason it’s difficult to treat is because it’s less common than other cancers.
“It’s an uncommon cancer,” says Dr. Shanda Blackmon, a Mayo Clinic general thoracic surgeon. “But it’s one of the deadliest cancers we know.”
Treatments for esophageal cancer can include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and immunotherapy. Risk factors include smoking, drinking alcohol, having acid reflux, being male and being older.
Liver Cancer
Liver cancer rates have tripled over the past 40 years. And 70% of liver cancers in the United States are likely caused by risk factors, which can be modified, including smoking, consuming alcohol, being overweight or having hepatitis C or B. Surgery to remove part of the liver sometimes successfully treats early-stage liver cancer.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer mortality rates are declining as fewer people are smoking and treatments as well as early detection are improving. Treatment depends on whether the cancer is small cell lung cancer (SCLC) or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Surgery is the typical treatment for early NSCLC. Radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted drug therapy are used for advanced NSCLC. Treatment for early SCLC includes chemotherapy and surgery. For the 25% of lung cancer patients diagnosed at the localized stage, the five-year relative survival rate is 63%.
Brain Cancer
There are more than 100 types of primary brain tumors – some are cancerous and some are not, according to the National Brain Tumor Society. Yet primary brain cancer is rare – accounting for 1.4% of all new cancer cases in the United States, according to the National Foundation for Cancer Research. They’re difficult to treat because of the sensitive nature of the brain. And symptoms of brain tumors like headaches, nausea and vomiting, are not always easy to pinpoint.
Stomach Cancer
Stomach cancer is difficult to treat because it tends to be found in the later stages when it has spread. Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and targeted drugs,
Hard to Treat Cancers: Do Not Give Up Hope
If you are diagnosed with a hard-to-treat cancer, do not give up hope. New treatments are always on the horizon and certain treatments may prolong your life or give you a better quality of life – making treating the cancer more like treating a chronic ailment like heart disease or diabetes.
The experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami –a free-standing radiation treatment center in the heart of South Florida — can help. CyberKnife Miami uses state-of-the-art image guided radiosurgery treatments — stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT — to treat cancer and other medical issues requiring radiation.
We treat spine, brain, metastatic breast, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver, prostate and head and neck tumors. We also treat lymphoma and other conditions in the body where radiation treatment is necessary. We even tackle hard to treat cancers for patients who have been turned away from other centers because of our expertise with CyberKnife.
CyberKnife’s missile guidance technology enables the SBRT to track a tumor’s movement in real time. The technology delivers radiation directly to the tumor, while leaving healthy surrounding tissue unharmed. With CyberKnife, patients often need a shorter course of treatment than with traditional radiation because of SBRT is targeted radiation.
At CyberKnife Miami our goal is to partner with you throughout your treatment journey and make sure you are as comfortable and as informed as possible.
If you would like to find out more about treatment with CyberKnife call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our website now for more information www.cyberknifemiami.com.