UCHealth’s CU Cancer Center boasts higher five-year cancer survival rates

National Cancer Survivors Day

For many cancer patients, survival rates are a crucial measure of success. On National Cancer Survivors Day, the University of Colorado Cancer Center is honored to celebrate cancer survivors while highlighting a positive trend in survival rates for those treated at its facility. Specifically, a higher percentage of people diagnosed at the UC Cancer Center have survived five years or more beyond their diagnoses than for the nation as a whole. These percentages are provided by UCHealth, the CU Cancer Center’s clinical partner.

Higher Survival Rates for Challenging Cancers

The difference in five-year cancer survival rates is particularly pronounced for cancers of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach, which are among the most challenging to successfully treat.

Cancers of the Esophagus, Liver, Pancreas, Lungs, and Stomach

Compared to national five-year cancer survival rates, the UCHealth survival rates for patients diagnosed with cancers of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach are much higher. For cancers of the esophagus, the survival rates are 91% higher; for liver cancer, 79% higher; for pancreatic cancer, 77.5% higher; for lung cancer, 67.4% higher; and for stomach cancers, 40.6% higher.

Other Cancers

The UCHealth survival rates are also significantly higher for ovarian cancer (16.6%), cervical cancer (11.3%), colon cancer (11%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (9.6%), chronic myeloid leukemia (7.7%), rectal cancer (6.5%), multiple myeloma (6.5%), uterine cancer (5.7%), tongue cancer (4.9%), breast cancer (4.7%), and others.

Factors that Contribute to Higher Cancer Survival Rates at UCHealth

Dr. Wells Messersmith, the cancer center’s associate director of clinical services and division head of medical oncology in the CU School of Medicine, attributes the center’s higher survival rates to several factors:

The CU Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Colorado.
The center’s capabilities mimic those of large, high-volume academic medical centers.
The center has a team of doctors with specialized skills and expertise in treating specific types of cancer.
The center conducts numerous clinical trials and experimental treatments to discover new, innovative approaches to cancer care.
The center offers multidisciplinary clinics, where patients receive input from 20 different professionals on their cases.

The Meaning of Five-Year Cancer Survivorship

The term five-year cancer survivorship is used to describe a person who is still alive five years after being diagnosed with any type of cancer. This includes people who show no signs of cancer after their treatment and people who still have signs of cancer after five years but whose cancer is being managed through treatment. However, cancer survival rates may vary widely depending on several factors, such as the stage of cancer at diagnosis, the patient’s overall health, and other factors. In general, early cancer diagnosis correlates with higher five-year survival rates.

CU Cancer Center’s Efforts to Improve Survival Rates for Cancer Patients

Dr. D. Ross Camidge, a CU Cancer Center member and a professor of medical oncology, helped launch the cancer center’s annual 5+ Years Lung Cancer Survivorship Celebration. He credits the center’s many successful clinical trials as playing a significant role in the center’s higher survival rates. The center’s clinical trials enable patients to access tomorrow’s treatments today. In addition, high-volume transplant programs for liver and pancreatic cancer and specialized surgical teams for cancer of the esophagus and stomach contribute significantly to the higher survival rates.

Conclusion

The UCHealth CU Cancer Center takes pride in improving cancer survival rates for patients. Cancer patients come to the center hoping for a chance to beat their disease. The center’s use of innovative treatments, clinical trials, a multidisciplinary approach, and a team of specialized professionals improves patient survival rates. The center’s data on five-year cancer survival rates comes from a reputable source and shows the positive impact of CU Cancer Center on the lives of cancer patients.

Originally Post From https://news.cuanschutz.edu/cancer-center/cancer-survivors-day-2024

Many Cancers Outperform National Survival Rates at CU Cancer Center