Survival Beyond Five Years?

QUESTION: I would like to know why you only ever see the five-year survival rate statistic. What are the percentages at 10 and 15 years? The way this statistic is stated, it makes it sound like you have an 80% chance of surviving for five years; however, you should count on your life span being shortened.

ANSWER: Most breast cancer studies collect and publish data on the women who participated in their studies over the first five years, which is the period with the highest risk of recurrence. There are quite a number of studies that do have longer follow-up—some for as long as 20 years. But it's also true that many studies are without the necessary funding, personnel, and organization to keep following women over time and reporting their findings. Yes, recurrence can happen after five years, but significantly fewer cancers recur each year after the five-year mark. I completely agree, we really do need more information about what happens after five years, to help women know what to expect. The number of women who survive breast cancer after five years does tend to gradually drift downward over time and then kind of level off a bit. Besides breast cancer, women can lose their lives to unrelated causes such as heart attacks, "old age," etc. The good news is that more and more women are living more than five years beyond breast cancer as a result of early detection, more effective breast cancer therapy, and better overall medical care.

—Marisa Weiss, M.D.