In short
The overall 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 12% [1]. This number is mostly driven by patients diagnosed with early, localized disease, whose survival rate has risen to 46% [1]. For most patients, the survival rate remains low because they are usually diagnosed at a later stage [1].
The details
What to know
These statistics show that early detection is critical for better outcomes [1]. Most patients are diagnosed when the disease is already advanced or metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) [3]. New treatments are helping some patients live longer, especially in the short term, but long-term survival for advanced disease has not improved much yet [1]. These numbers are general trends and do not predict what will happen to any specific person.