You probably have questions about how serious your cancer is and your chances of survival. The estimate of how the disease will go for you is called prognosis. It can be hard to understand what prognosis means and also challenging to talk about,
Some of the factors that affect prognosis include:
- The type of cancer and where it is in your body
- The stage of cancer, which refers to the size of the cancer and if it has spread to other parts of your body
- The cancer grade refers to how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope. Grade provides clues about how quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread.
- Certain traits of the cancer cells
- Your age and how healthy you were before the cancer diagnosis.
- How you respond to treatment
Seeking Information About Your Prognosis Is a Personal Decision
When you have cancer, you and your loved ones face many unknowns. Understanding your cancer and knowing what to expect can help you and your loved ones make decisions. Some of the decisions you may face include:
- Which treatment is best for you
- If you want treatment
- How to best take care of yourself and manage the treatment side effects
- How to deal with financial and legal matters
Many people want to know their prognosis. They find it easier to cope when they know more about their cancer. You may ask your doctor about survival statistics or search for this information on your own. Or, you may find statistics confusing and frightening, and think they are too impersonal to be of value to you. It is up to you to decide how much information you want.
If you do decide you want to know more, the doctor who knows the most about your situation is in the best position to discuss your prognosis and explain what the statistics may mean.
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