Statistics and prognosis for cancer of the larynx

Cancer statistics in general

There is a section explaining more about the different types of cancer statistics in the cancer statistics section of CancerHelp UK. Unless you are very familiar with medical statistics, it might help to read this before you read the statistics below.

Remember – statistics are averages based on large numbers of patients. They cannot predict exactly what will happen to you. No two people are exactly alike and response to treatment will vary from one person to another.

You should feel free to ask your doctor about your prognosis, but not even your doctor can tell you for sure what will happen. You may hear your doctor use the term ‘5 year survival’. This doesn't mean you will only live 5 years. It relates to the proportion of people in research studies who were still alive 5 years after their cancer was diagnosed and treated. Doctors follow what happens to people for 5 years after treatment in any research study. This allows them to make comparisons between the results of different studies.

Doctors quote figures for 5 years because, if it is going to come back, a cancer is most likely to do so within this time. If a cancer of the larynx has not come back within 5 years, there is only a small chance that it will come back after that (unless you continue to smoke). Doctors don't like to say you are cured, because there is that small chance. So the term ‘5 year survival’ is used instead.

Overall outlook

As with many other types of cancer, the outcome depends on how advanced your cancer is. In other words, the stage of your cancer. The outlook of laryngeal cancer also depends on which part of the larynx is involved. The statistics below are general, for all types of laryngeal cancer. For information that is more detailed you will have to talk to your own specialist.

Of all those people diagnosed with cancer of the larynx, 65 out of every 100 diagnosed (65%) live for at least 5 years.

About 56 out of every 100 people diagnosed (56%) will live for 10 years. These people will almost certainly have been cured of their larynx cancer.

Fortunately, most laryngeal cancers are still in the early stages (stage 1 or 2) when they are found. For these people, 80 out of every 100 diagnosed (80%) will live for at least 5 years.

The figures do vary, depending on where the cancer is in the larynx. Most laryngeal cancers in the UK are glottic - that means they started in the glottis within the larynx. Glottic cancers tend to be picked up at an early stage as a hoarse voice is a common early symptom. About 90 out of every 100 people with T1 glottic cancers are cured with radiotherapy alone. But most of the remaining 10 out of every 100 will be cured with surgery after their radiotherapy.