Cancer statistics is the term given to collecting, organizing and interpreting numerical data such that information can be gathered as an inference by analyzing a sample and relating this to the population. Cancer statistics are useful when predicting a cancer patient’s prognosis. Prognosis is something that is discussed between cancer patients and their doctors which will give the patient an idea of the most probable outcome of their cancer condition (whether they might fully recover or whether they might have the cancer returning). There are several important factors that could affect a patients’ prognosis, such as: type of the cancer, location of the cancer, the extent to which the cancer has spread, the abnormality of the cancer cells and growth rate of the cancer. Other external factors that can also affect the prognosis of the patient are the patient’s age, normal health condition and how the patient responds to the treatment given. When the doctor discusses a patient’s prognosis, they carefully consider the cancer statistics available to them thanks to the researchers who’ve collected information over years on various cancer patients. The doctors carefully analyze the cancer statistics, and uses cancer statistics that are of a group of people most similar to the patient – especially regarding the factors that affect the prognosis. For instance, if the patient is a male of the age 34, who used to be a heavy smoker, the doctor will take into consideration- the cancer statistics that are available of cancer patients of age group between – perhaps 30- 40, who are males and who were smokers, to base this particular patient’s prognosis. The commonly used cancer statistics include: survival rate (this is the percentage of cancer patients with a certain type of cancer that had spread to a certain extent, who have survived for a certain period of time after they were diagnosed as cancer patients), the five year survival rate (this is the percentage of people who after five years from their initial diagnosis are still alive whether they have no symptoms of cancer, have few symptoms of cancer or are free of cancer completely or having treatment) and Recurrence-free survival rate (this shows how long a person who once had cancer will survive, free of the disease, rather than until death). The National Cancer Institute produces a report called the SEER cancer statistics review that is consistent with the latest cancer incidents and is available to the American public. The latest edition of this cancer statistics review includes statistics from 1975 to year 2005- the latest year to which these statistics are currently available. Other countries such as the United Kingdom also publish their own Cancer statistics reports, usually free for the public. Cancer statistics are also useful for University students studying, for example Oncology and other research groups; hence it is extremely gratifying that cancer statistics reports such as those mentioned above
are available for the public for free; as they improve public awareness of the dreaded disease- cancer.