If you or someone close to you has just been diagnosed with pancreatic NET, you may be asking: How serious is pancreatic NET? What is the prognosis? What are survival rates among people with similar diagnoses?
Prognosis and survival rates vary from person to person and depend on many factors, including:
- the type of pancreatic NET
- the grade of the pancreatic NET
- where the tumor is found in the pancreas
- whether the tumor has spread to more than one place in the pancreas or to other parts of the body
- whether you have MEN1 syndrome
- your age and overall health
- whether the pancreatic NET has just been diagnosed or has recurred (come back)
Doctors estimate pancreatic NET prognosis by using statistics collected over many years from people with pancreatic NETs. One statistic that is commonly used in making a prognosis is the 5-year relative survival rate. The 5-year relative survival rate tells you what percentage of people with the same stage of pancreatic NETs are alive 5 years after their tumor was diagnosed, compared with people in the overall population.
The overall 5-year relative survival rate for all stages and types of pancreatic NETs is 48%. This means that about 48 out of 100 people diagnosed with a pancreatic NET are expected to be alive 5 years after their diagnosis, compared to people without a pancreatic NET.
The most recent 5-year relative survival rates for pancreatic NETs from NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, representing the period 2015–2021, are:
- 91% for localized pancreatic NET (cancer that has not spread outside the pancreas)
- 64% for regional pancreatic NET (cancer that has spread to nearby structures or lymph nodes)
- 19% for distant pancreatic NET (cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body)
Talking with your doctor to make sense of cancer statistics
Doctors estimate pancreatic NET prognosis by using statistics collected over many years from people with pancreatic NETs. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to you. The doctor who knows the most about your situation is in the best position to discuss these statistics and talk with you about your prognosis. When reviewing survival statistics, it’s important to note:
- No two people are entirely alike, and responses to treatment can vary greatly.
- Survival statistics use information collected from large groups of people who may have received different types of treatment.
- It takes several years to see the effect of newer and better treatments, so these effects may not be reflected in current survival statistics.
Learn more about survival statistics and access videos of patients and their doctors exploring their feelings about prognosis at Understanding Cancer Prognosis.