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Five-Year Survival Rates
(from the National Cancer Institute's Physician Data Query system, July 2003)
Esophageal cancer is lethal because the esophagus has no serosa; any tumor extension beyond the esophagus can spread rapidly. Overall, the five-year survival rate is less than 10% for all stages combined.
| Stage | Survival Rate |
|---|---|
| Stage 0 | Excellent |
| Stage I | > 65% |
| Stage IIA | 30% |
| Stage IIB | 15% |
| Stage III | < 10% |
| Stage IV | Rare |
| Stage | Survival Rate |
|---|---|
| Stage 0 | > 90% |
| Stage I | 50 - 70% for distal cancers; 10 - 15% for proximal cancers |
| Stage II | > 25% for T1/T2 Node positive cases; < 25% for T3 cases |
| Stage III | 15% for distal cancers |
| Stage IV | < 5% |
| Stage | Survival Rate |
|---|---|
| Stage 0 | not reported |
| Stage I | 60-70% |
| Stage II | 45-55% |
| Stage III | 15% |
| Stage IV | <10% |
| Carcinoid | < 40% |