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Survival rates for neuroendocrine tumors vary greatly. This cancer can happen just about anywhere in the body. It sometimes grows so slowly that it doesn't need treatment right away, and treatment might involve close monitoring. But other times it can grow quickly and act aggressively.

This makes it hard to understand what general neuroendocrine tumor survival rates might mean for you. Still, many people want to know the survival rates to help them understand how to talk about the prognosis with their healthcare professionals.

One study of neuroendocrine tumor survival rates looked at people in the United States diagnosed between 2000 and 2021. It reported survival rates by extent of disease.

• Localized neuroendocrine tumors had a five-year overall survival rate of about 90%. This means that for every 100 people included in the study, 90 were still living five years after diagnosis. Localized means the cancer hasn't grown beyond the place where it started and it hasn't spread. This is usually a stage 1 or stage 2 neuroendocrine tumor.
• Regional neuroendocrine tumors had a five-year overall survival rate of about 85%. Regional means the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. This usually is a stage 3 neuroendocrine tumor.
• Distant neuroendocrine tumors had a five-year overall survival rate of about 57%. Distant means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This is usually a stage 4 neuroendocrine tumor.

Survival rates can give you an idea about the outlook for someone with a neuroendocrine tumor, but they can't say exactly how long you will live. Many factors affect prognosis and survival rates for neuroendocrine tumors, including:

• Location. Survival rates for neuroendocrine tumors vary by the cancer's location. Neuroendocrine tumors in the appendix and the rectum tend to have a better prognosis, while those in the pancreas and lungs tend to have a worse prognosis.
• Size. Small neuroendocrine tumors are often easier to remove with surgery and have a better prognosis. If the cancer grows into nearby structures, surgery might not be possible or might be more complex.
• Spread. In general, stage 4 neuroendocrine tumors that spread to other parts of the body have a worse prognosis.
• Differentiation. Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors tend to grow more slowly and are less likely to spread. They have a better prognosis than poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumors.
• Grade. Low-grade neuroendocrine tumors have the best prognosis because they usually grow slowly. Intermediate grade and high-grade cancers have a worse prognosis. Healthcare professionals decide on the grade using the Ki-67 score and mitotic rate. If these numbers are high, it's a sign that the cancer is growing quickly and the survival rate may be lower.
• Somatostatin receptors. Somatostatin receptors are found on the outside of many neuroendocrine tumor cells. Having cancer cells with somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) on their surface may give a better prognosis because there are more treatment options. Treatments that can target these cells include somatostatin analog medicines and radiopharmaceutical therapy.
• Functional status. It's not clear whether a functional neuroendocrine tumor gives a worse or better prognosis compared to a nonfunctional cancer. Functional cancers make extra hormones that cause symptoms, which can sometimes be bothersome or even cause serious complications. These symptoms may affect quality of life, but it isn't clear whether they change survival rates.
• Your overall health. Healthcare teams consider your overall health when making a treatment plan. If you have other serious health concerns, this could limit your treatment options and lead to a worse prognosis.

If you want to know the survival rate for your neuroendocrine tumor, talk about it with your healthcare team. Your care team can tell you about the prognosis for someone in your particular situation. Team members also know more about you and your cancer and can explain what may affect your personal outlook.

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