With liver cancer, the survival rate five years after diagnosis varies greatly, depending on the stage of evolution of the tumor at the time of discovery of the disease.
- The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with liver cancer between 2010 and 2015 is estimated at 18%, all stages combined.
- The median age of diagnosis of this cancer is 70 years for men and 73 years for women.
- In 2018, there were 10,580 new cases of liver cancer in France and 8,697 deaths linked to this disease, according to Public Health France.
The five-year survival rate of people diagnosed with liver cancer between 2010 and 2015 is estimated at 18%, all stages combined, according to the Panorama of cancers in France – 2023 edition.
Liver cancer: late diagnosis reduces prognosis
This cancer is one of those with a “poor prognosis”, meaning that the chances of five-year survival remain quite low. However, as indicated the National Cancer Institutethis figure is a “statistical average which says nothing about an individual situation.” Indeed, this percentage includes all cancers, therefore including at different stages and regardless of the age and state of health of the patient. The median age of diagnosis is 70 years for men and 73 years for women.
Furthermore, as pointed out by Vidalthe five-year survival rate also depends on the location of the tumor: from 25% when it is localized to less than 10% when it is more extensive.
Often, this cancer remains silent, that is to say it causes few or no specific symptoms. Thus, it is sometimes diagnosed at an advanced stage, which explains the low five-year survival rate.
Liver cancer: a better survival rate when surgery is possible
For only about a third of patients, liver cancer can be treated curatively. That is to say, it is completely eliminated. For some patients, a liver transplant is even possible. In this case, the five-year survival rate rises to around 70%.
On the other hand, when neither transplantation nor removal of the liver is possible, treatments (for example chemotherapy or therapy) are offered to patients. The recurrence rate here is high, of the order of 80 to 85% of cases five years after the first diagnosis.
In 2018, there were 10,580 new cases of liver cancer in France and 8,697 deaths linked to this disease, according to Public Health France. The main risk factors are alcohol consumption, smoking, hepatitis B and C, hemochromatosisthere steatosis hepaticoverweight and a sedentary lifestyle.
