title: Cancer survival: an overview of measures, uses, and interpretation.
abstract: Survival statistics are of great interest to patients, clinicians, researchers, and policy makers. Although seemingly simple, survival can be confusing: there are many different survival measures with a plethora of names and statistical methods developed to answer different questions. This paper aims to describe and disseminate different survival measures and their interpretation in less technical language. In addition, we introduce templates to summarize cancer survival statistic organized by their specific purpose: research and policy versus prognosis and clinical decision making.
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS). mariotta@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Angela B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mariotto
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Anne-Michelle
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Noone
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Howlader
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Hyunsoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Gretchen E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Keel
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garshell
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woloshin
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (AM, AN, NH, HC); Division of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea (HC); Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton MD (GEK, JG); Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT (SW, LMS).
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D012107:Research Design; D015996:Survival Rate