CONDITIONAL SURVIVAL ESTIMATES IN 34,963 PATIENTS WITH INVASIVE-CARCINOMA OF THE COLON

PURPOSE: We report colon cancer survival rates that are conditioned on patients having already survived one or more years after diagnosis. T hese rates have more meaning clinically, because they consider those p atients who have already survived a given period of time after treatme nt. METHODS: The life table method was used to compute conditional sur vival rates, using population-based data obtained from the Surveillanc e, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Instit ute. Patients were diagnosed between 1983 and 1987 and followed up thr ough 1994. Relative and observed survival rates are considered. RESULT S: Survival rates up to ten years after diagnosis are reported by stag e of disease, gender, and race for colon cancer patients who survived from one to five pears after diagnosis. Survival rates are also report ed by lymph node involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Five-year and ten-year surv ival in colon cancer patients having already survived between one and five years after diagnosis continues to be influenced significantly by stage and race.