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JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2001 93(23):1768-1770; doi:10.1093/jnci/93.23.1768
© 2001 by Oxford University Press
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Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 93, No. 23, 1768-1770, December 5, 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press

NEWS

Demystifying Statistics: Experts Discuss Common Misunderstandings

Nancy J. Nelson

It has been said that statistics can be used to prove anything. Likewise, with cancer statistics, there are more correct and less correct ways to use them.

One of the most common and complex misuses of statistics is related to 5-year survival rates—the percentage of people, on average, who survive their cancer for 5 years after diagnosis.

Cancer centers and public health agencies frequently cite increases in 5-year survival rates to measure the success of the war against cancer. In fact, for many cancers, including the most common ones—prostate, breast, lung, and colon—5-year survival rates have increased in the last few decades.

By . . . [Full Text of this Article]

One in Eight Breast Cancer Statistic

Number Versus Rate

Age Adjustment

Age-Adjusting to Year 2000


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