Metastatic lung cancer survival rate refers to the prognosis or the life expectancy of the patients whose lung cancer has metastasized, i.e., the cancer has spread to other parts or organs of the body. This is an important and commonly posed question because a considerably large percentage of patients have already reached stage IV and metastases by the time they are actually diagnosed. Metastatic lung cancer survival rate is usually estimated on the basis of previous patients’ experiences and survival rate. Metastatic lung cancer survival rate helps a doctor understand the prognosis of a patient, i.e., determine the chances of his or her cancer being cured and decide a treatment plan accordingly.
Metastatic lung cancer survival rate depends on a large number of variables that include the following factors.
Age
Younger cancer patients tend to have a higher metastatic lung cancer survival rate compared to patients who are advanced in age.
Sex
Female cancer patients usually have a higher metastatic lung cancer survival rate compared to male patients.
Type and location of lung cancer
Type and location of lung cancer are important factors that determine the metastatic lung cancer survival rate. Metastatic lung cancer includes several types of lung cancers, including the ones that have spread or metastasized to only one distant location or organ as well as cancer that has spread extensively, and the survival rate depends on both the type of cancer as well as the extent of metastases. Certain cancers with specific genetic tumor characteristics, such as the ones that have targetable mutations like ROS1 mutations, EGFR mutations, and ALK-positive lung cancer, may have a higher survival rate as they respond better to the latest targeted therapies for lung cancer.
General health and response to treatment
Overall health and immunity of the patient have a large impact on metastatic lung cancer survival rate. Patients who are overall healthy when diagnosed tend to have a better survival rate as they tolerate the cancer treatment better. Metastatic lung cancer survival rate also depends on a patient’s response to various treatments as side effects of treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy are different for different patients and affect the extent to which patients can tolerate these treatments, thus impacting their survival rate.
Underlying health conditions
Certain underlying health conditions like emphysema may have an adverse impact on metastatic lung cancer survival rate.
Location of the metastases
Almost any region of the body is susceptible to metastasized cancer, but this cancer generally spreads to the bones, brain, adrenal glands, and liver. In the cases where metastases are limited to only a few lung cancer brain or liver metastases, metastatic lung cancer survival rate can be relatively higher and treatment with long-term survival as a goal may be a viable option.
Metastatic lung cancer may not be curable, but it is treatable. There have been several instances of people who survived metastatic lung cancer to lead a thriving life. Therefore, despite a low metastatic lung cancer survival rate, patients must not lose hope.
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