That’s because lung cancer becomes more difficult to treat as it progresses.
However, that doesn’t tell the evolving story of how newer treatments are improving the survival rate.
With some of the newer treatments, the five-year survival rate is as high as 23%.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
It is important to remember that stage 4 lung cancer has no set course.
Many will live for months and even years longer than the average statistics.
The staging ofNSCLChelps doctors choose the most appropriate course of treatment based on the likely outcome orprognosis.
Illustration by Hetal Rathod, Verywell
With that said, the extent of metastasis can vary along with the prognosis.
What Are the Signs of End-stage Lung Cancer?
These estimate the percentage of people who will live forat leastfive years following the initial diagnosis.
Illustration by Emily Roberts, Verywell
Epidemiologists classify five-year survival rates in one of two ways.
Survival Rates by TNM Stage
The first approach is based on the TNM stage.
Statistical survival times are matched to the stage of the disease.
This means this portion of patients with metastatic disease lived forat leasta year.
How Long Can You Live Without Treatment if You Have Stage 4 Lung Cancer?
Some of these are fixed (non-modifiable) and others can be changed (modifiable).
There are seven factors known to influence survival times in people with stage 4 NSCLC.
Older age not only influences the progression of the disease but survival rates as well.
This drops to 5.6% for those 65 and over.
Sex
Male sex is independently associated with poorer outcomes in people with lung cancer in general.
Research suggests that men are at a genetic disadvantage.
Performance Status
People with stage 4 NSCLC tend to be symptomatic.
This doesn’t mean, however, that all people will be equally ill or disabled.
There are several ways that PS is measured.
Smoking Status
It is never too late to stop smoking.
Having one or more comorbidities not only complicates lung cancer treatment but significantly impacts life expectancy.
Among people with stage 4 lung cancer specifically, there are two comorbidities that most directly influence survival times.
Unlike traditional chemotherapy drugs, these medications don’t attack all fast-replicating cells.
Instead, they recognize and attack cancer cells with specific “treatable” mutations.
Because of this, there is less collateral damage to normal cells and fewer side effects.
The three most common mutations are:
The effect of these drugs on survival times has been impressive.
By contrast, only 2% of those not on the drug were still alive after five years.
Is It Possible to Beat Stage 4 Lung Cancer?
Research shows that those with this throw in of cancer face a five-year relative survival rate of 9%.
Survival rates are ever-increasing, and newer medications can now personalize treatment in ways that were once unheard of.
Their practitioners are more likely to be on top of the current research and treatment strategies.
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