More Than a Statistic

Following the pathology report and diagnosis, an individual may fall into a statistical category that may have a limited bearing on the prognosis at the individual level. For example, the report may indicate that the survival rate for an individual to live for 5 years is less than 10 percent. However, such cancer survival statistics, should be interpreted with caution. The following postings will look more closely at being a statistic or an individual, and how individual choices and promising research play a role in survival statistics.