Survival Rates for Uterine Sarcoma, by Stage

Survival rates are often used by doctors as a standard way of discussing a person's prognosis (outlook). Some patients with cancer may want to know the survival statistics for people in similar situations, while others may not find the numbers helpful, or may even not want to know them. If you decide that you do not want to know about the survival rates for uterine sarcoma given in the next few paragraphs, skip to the next section.

The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Of course, many people live much longer than 5 years (and many are cured).

Five-year relative survival rates compare the survival of people with the cancer to the survival for people without the cancer. This is a way to take into account deaths from causes other than cancer. The 5-year relative survival rate is a better way to describe the impact of a particular type and stage of cancer on survival.

In order to get 5-year survival rates, doctors have to look at people who were treated at least 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in a more favorable outlook for people now being diagnosed with uterine sarcoma.

Survival rates are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had the disease, but they cannot predict what will happen in any particular person's case. Many factors may affect a person's outlook, such as:

• The stage of the cancer
• The type of sarcoma (leiomyosarcoma or endometrial stromal sarcoma)
• The grade of the sarcoma (low grade versus high grade)
• The woman's general state of health
• The treatment received

Your doctor can tell you how the numbers below may apply to you, as he or she is familiar with your particular situation.

The survival statistics noted below come from the National Cancer Institute's SEER program. They are based on women diagnosed with uterine sarcomas from 2004 to 2010. SEER doesn’t break down these statistics by AJCC or FIGO stage. Instead, SEER uses something called summary stages: localized, regional, and distant.

• Localized means the cancer is only in the uterus, and corresponds to stage I.
• Regional means the cancer has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes and includes stages II, and III.
• Distant means the cancer has spread further and includes stages IVA and IVB.

Leiomyosarcoma

Undifferentiated sarcoma

Endometrial stromal sarcoma