Survival Rates for Uterine Sarcoma

Survival rates are a way to measure how many people survive a certain type of cancer over time. They can’t tell you exactly what will happen with any one person, but they might help give you a better understanding of what to expect.

What is a 5-year relative survival rate?

A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of uterine sarcoma to people in the overall population.

For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of uterine sarcoma is 90%, it means that people who have that cancer are, on average, about 90% as likely as people who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed.

Where do these numbers come from?

The American Cancer Society relies on information from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer.

The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for uterine sarcoma in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread. The SEER database, however, does not group cancers by FIGO or AJCC TNM stages (stage I, stage II, stage III, etc.). Instead, it groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages.

• Localized: There is no sign the cancer has spread outside the uterus.
• Regional: The cancer has spread outside the uterus to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
• Distant: The cancer has spread to distant parts of the body such as the lungs, liver, or bones.

5-year relative survival rates for uterine sarcoma

These numbers are based on women diagnosed with uterine sarcoma between 2015 and 2021. These survival rates differ based on the type of uterine sarcoma (leiomyosarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma, and low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma).

Leiomyosarcoma

SEER stage	5-year relative survival rate
Localized	61%
Regional	28%
Distant	13%
All SEER stages combined	38%

 

Endometrial stromal sarcoma - low grade*

SEER stage	5-year relative survival rate
Localized	98%
Regional	88%
Distant	78%
All SEER stages combined	93%

 

*The prognosis (outlook) for high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma is more likely to be similar to that of undifferentiated sarcoma (see below).

 

Undifferentiated sarcoma

SEER stage	5-year relative survival rate
Localized	73%
Regional	38%
Distant	17%
All SEER stages combined	46%

 

Understanding the numbers

People being diagnosed with uterine sarcoma today might have a better prognosis than these numbers show. Treatments improve over time, and these numbers are based on people who were diagnosed and treated at least 5 years ago.

These numbers apply only to the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. They do not apply later on if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back after treatment.

These numbers don’t take everything into account. Other factors can affect your outlook, such as your age and overall health, where the cancer started, and how well the cancer responds.