The graph shows shows how the five-year relative survival of multiple myeloma patients in the U.S. has evolved over the last 65 years. Here's the graph:
- LB-MMSurvival2014.jpg (35.82 KiB) Viewed 5805 times
Based on recent trends in the 5-year relative survival rate, Dr. Bergsagel suggests that, for myeloma patients diagnosed in 2014, the relative survival rate may have reached as high as 66 percent -- more than double what it was just 15 years ago.
He ends his article with the following statement:
"During the last 6 years for which we have data ... the 5-year survival rate has been increasing each year by more than 2%. If we continue at this rate we will reach 100% in about 25 years. Given the new active drugs in development, and immunotherapeutic approaches on the horizon, we can be hopeful that we will reach that goal in an even shorter time, and our children will need to focus their attention on other tumors that have lagged behind the advances made in the field of multiple myeloma."
Dr. Bergsagel's article can be viewed in full at the following link:
http://meetinglibrary.asco.org/content/114000199-144
Note that relative survival is a slightly different concept than the typical, "absolute" survival which is discussed in most myeloma research articles.
If the absolute five-year survival for a cancer is 50 percent, for example, it means the average person diagnosed with that cancer has a 50 percent chance of living at least 5 years. This is the sort of "survival" that is typically discussed in Beacon articles.
If the relative survival is 50 percent for a type of cancer, it means something a little different. It means that patients with that type of cancer have 50 percent the chance of surviving at least five years as people who do not have the cancer.
For a more detailed explanation of the difference between absolute and relative survival rates, go to this link, which will take you to the survival rates explanation in a recent Beacon article on myeloma survival in the U.S.
