Lung cancer carries a 5-year relative survival rate of 26.7% across all stages.
Survival reaches 63% for localized disease yet drops to 8.1% once distant metastasis occurs.
Rates vary further by cell type, with non-small cell lung cancer at 28% and small cell lung cancer at 7%.
Key Takeaways
- 5-year survival for lung cancer in females is 28.2% vs 25.1% in males (SEER)
- For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the 5-year survival rate is 28%
- The 5-year relative survival rate for all stages of lung and bronchus cancer combined in the US from 2014-2020 is 26.7%
- The 5-year relative survival rate for localized lung cancer (all stages confined to primary site) is 63%
- Surgery for stage I NSCLC improves 5-year survival to 80-90%
Lung cancer survival varies widely, so early detection and treatment can significantly improve outcomes.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic and Risk Factor Survival25 stats
01
5-year survival for lung cancer in females is 28.2% vs 25.1% in males (SEER)
02
Black Americans have 5-year lung cancer survival of 21.5% vs 27.6% whites
03
Patients under 65 years have 33% 5-year survival vs 22% over 65
04
Never-smokers lung cancer 5-year survival 30% higher than smokers
05
Asian/Pacific Islander lung cancer 5-year survival 30.3%
06
Hispanic lung cancer patients 5-year survival 24.7%
07
Rural residents have 20% lower lung cancer survival than urban
08
Women with NSCLC have 5-year survival 32% vs 25% men
09
Elderly (>80) lung cancer 1-year survival 25%
10
Comorbid COPD reduces 5-year survival by 10-15%
11
Performance status 0-1 patients 5-year survival 35% vs 10% PS 2+
12
Low SES linked to 5-year survival 18% vs 25% high SES
13
Obese patients (BMI>30) 5-year survival 22% vs 26% normal
14
Former smokers survival better by 5% than current
15
Married patients 5-year survival 28% vs 22% unmarried
16
Diabetes comorbidity lowers median survival by 3 months
17
Heavy smokers (>40 pack-years) 5-year survival 18%
18
Young adults (<50) 5-year survival 35%
19
American Indian/Alaska Native 5-year survival 20.5%
20
Insured patients survival 27% vs 19% uninsured
21
EGFR mutations more common in women, improving survival to 45%
22
Smoking cessation pre-diagnosis increases 5-year survival by 15%
23
Cardiovascular disease comorbidity reduces OS by 20%
24
Urban vs rural survival gap 5-10% higher in cities
25
5-year survival for localized NSCLC in women is 70%
Interpretation
Demographic and Risk Factor Survival Interpretation
These survival statistics reveal that lung cancer is less a monolithic death sentence and more a biased accountant, coldly calculating your odds based on who you are, where you live, what you earn, and whether you quit smoking in time.
02 · Category
Histology-Specific Survival22 stats
01
For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the 5-year survival rate is 28%
02
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) 5-year survival rate is 7%
03
NSCLC adenocarcinoma 5-year survival is 27%
04
NSCLC squamous cell carcinoma 5-year survival is 24%
05
Large cell carcinoma 5-year survival is 17%
06
Limited-stage SCLC 5-year survival 27%
07
Extensive-stage SCLC 5-year survival 3%
08
Adenocarcinoma in never-smokers 5-year survival 40%
09
Squamous cell in smokers 5-year survival 20%
10
NSCLC with EGFR mutation 5-year survival 50% with targeted therapy
11
SCLC with prophylactic cranial irradiation improves 3-year survival to 20%
12
NSCLC large cell neuroendocrine 5-year survival 15-25%
13
Adenocarcinoma NOS 5-year survival 25%
14
In Asian populations, adenocarcinoma survival 35% at 5 years
15
SCLC oat cell subtype median survival 9 months
16
NSCLC bronchioalveolar carcinoma 5-year survival up to 80% early stage
17
Mixed histology NSCLC 5-year survival 22%
18
SCLC combined small cell 5-year survival 10%
19
EGFR-positive adenocarcinoma median PFS 18 months
20
ALK-rearranged NSCLC 5-year survival 60% with inhibitors
21
ROS1 fusion NSCLC OS 5 years 40-50%
22
Squamous NSCLC PD-L1 high 2-year survival 50% with IO
Interpretation
Histology-Specific Survival Interpretation
In this grim statistical arena, the cold numbers tell a clear and brutal story: while your specific battlefield—be it a mutation, a stage, a histology, or a treatment—absolutely matters, lung cancer, on the whole, remains a formidable and often ruthless opponent.
03 · Category
Overall Survival Rates29 stats
01
The 5-year relative survival rate for all stages of lung and bronchus cancer combined in the US from 2014-2020 is 26.7%
02
Overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer patients diagnosed between 2013-2019 is 22.9% according to SEER data
03
The median survival time for metastatic lung cancer patients is approximately 12 months
04
1-year survival rate for lung cancer in England (2016-2020) is 38%
05
Global 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is around 19% based on CONCORD-3 study
06
In Japan, the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer improved to 33% from 2006-2008 data
07
US lung cancer 5-year survival rate increased from 12% in 1975 to 26% in 2020
08
For never-smokers with lung cancer, 5-year survival is 30.8% vs 21.3% for smokers
09
Age-standardized 5-year net survival for lung cancer in Europe averages 15-20%
10
In Canada, 5-year survival for lung cancer is 19% (2014-2018)
11
Australian lung cancer 5-year survival rate is 21% (2014-2018)
12
UK lung cancer 1-year survival rose to 42% by 2016-2020
13
Median overall survival for advanced lung cancer is 11.6 months in real-world data
14
3-year survival rate for lung cancer in the US is 35%
15
In China, 5-year survival for lung cancer is 16.8% (urban areas)
16
SEER data shows 10-year survival for lung cancer at 6.3%
17
Survival at 5 years for lung cancer patients over 65 is 20.1%
18
Global trends show lung cancer survival improving by 1-2% per decade
19
In France, 5-year survival for lung cancer is 17%
20
US non-Hispanic white lung cancer 5-year survival is 27.1%
21
Overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer diagnosed 2014-2020 is 26.7% per SEER
22
1-year survival for all lung cancer stages in US is 56%
23
Median survival for untreated lung cancer is 4-6 months
24
5-year survival in high-income countries averages 20%
25
Korean lung cancer 5-year survival 34.1% (2010-2014)
26
Survival improvement 3% per year in targeted therapy era
27
10-year lung cancer survivor rate 6.9%
28
In Germany, 5-year survival 21%
29
Italian lung cancer 5-year net survival 17%
Interpretation
Overall Survival Rates Interpretation
While these numbers are still sobering, they whisper the cautious, hard-won progress of modern medicine: a patient diagnosed with lung cancer today is more than twice as likely to be alive in five years than they would have been fifty years ago, yet the overall odds remain a grim roll of the dice.
More related reading
04 · Category
Stage-Based Survival30 stats
01
The 5-year relative survival rate for localized lung cancer (all stages confined to primary site) is 63%
02
For regional stage lung cancer (spread to regional lymph nodes), 5-year survival is 35%
03
Distant metastatic lung cancer has a 5-year survival of 8.1%
04
Stage I NSCLC 5-year survival rate is 68-92% depending on substage
05
Stage II NSCLC 5-year survival is 53-60%
06
Stage IIIA NSCLC 5-year survival is 36%
07
Stage IIIB NSCLC 5-year survival drops to 26%
08
Stage IV NSCLC 5-year survival is 9%
09
For limited-stage SCLC, 5-year survival is 29%
10
Extensive-stage SCLC 5-year survival is 3%
11
Stage IA lung cancer 5-year survival exceeds 90%
12
Stage IB NSCLC 5-year OS is 68%
13
Stage IIA 5-year survival for NSCLC is 60%
14
Stage IIB NSCLC 5-year survival is 53%
15
Stage IIIA 5-year survival in NSCLC is 24-36%
16
Stage IIIB 5-year survival 13-25% in NSCLC
17
Stage IV NSCLC median survival 11 months by stage
18
Localized lung cancer 5-year survival 61% (2014-2020 SEER)
19
Regional lung cancer 5-year survival 34% (SEER 2014-2020)
20
In stage I SCLC, 5-year survival is up to 50% with treatment
21
Stage IV lung cancer 1-year survival is 32%
22
Early-stage (I-II) NSCLC surgery alone 5-year survival 70-90%
23
Advanced stage (III-IV) lung cancer 2-year survival 25%
24
5-year survival for NSCLC is 28% overall, with stage I at 92%
25
SCLC limited stage median survival 15-20 months
26
NSCLC adenocarcinoma stage I 5-year survival 83%
27
Squamous cell stage II 5-year survival 65%
28
Stage 0 lung cancer (carcinoma in situ) 5-year survival 100%
29
Unknown stage lung cancer 5-year survival 11%
30
Stage I squamous cell 5-year survival 80%
Interpretation
Stage-Based Survival Interpretation
The numbers tell a brutally simple story: where lung cancer is found defines your fate, with survival rates plummeting from a hopeful whisper in the early stages to a grim statistic once it has marched beyond its original borders.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Lung Cancer Survival Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lung-cancer-survival-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Lung Cancer Survival Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lung-cancer-survival-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Lung Cancer Survival Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lung-cancer-survival-statistics.
Sources & references
7 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level