Cervical Cancer - Symptoms

Prognosis

A patient’s prognosis for cervical cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, the type of cervical cancer, and the size of the tumor.

General Survival Rates in Women with Cervical Cancer

Over the past 30 years, the death rate from cervical cancer has declined significantly. In general, 71% of women with invasive cervical cancer survive for 5 years or more. African-American women tend to have poorer 5-year survival rates than Caucasian women, although survival rates have significantly increased in African-American women in recent years.

Survival Rates and Cervical Cancer Stage

About half of cervical cancer cases are diagnosed when the cancer is confined to the cervix (localized; Stage I). About 35% of cases are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to adjacent areas or lymph nodes (regional; Stage II/III), and about 10% of cases are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread to distant regions (metastasized; Stage IV).

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Depending on the stage and spread of cancer, 5-year survival rates are:

• 92% for localized cervical cancer
• 58% for regional cancer
• 17% for metastasized cancer

Review Date: 10/21/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).