Pancreatic cancer

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Survival rates

A survival rate is a statistic based on groups of people with the same type of cancer. A five-year relative survival rate estimates the percentage of people expected to survive the effects of their cancer for at least five years while accounting for deaths from other causes.

For people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2016 and 2022, the overall five-year relative survival rate was 13.7%.

Survival statistics

Survival varies greatly depending on how far pancreatic cancer has spread when it is diagnosed. Survival statistics often group pancreatic cancer as localized, regional or distant. These categories are different from stages 0 through 4 and do not match them exactly.

  • Localized pancreatic cancer. The cancer hasn't spread beyond the pancreas. The five-year relative survival rate is 43.6%.
  • Regional pancreatic cancer. The cancer has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes. The five-year relative survival rate is 17.0%.
  • Distant pancreatic cancer. The cancer has spread, also called metastasized, to distant parts of the body. The five-year relative survival rate is 3.4%.

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat in part because it often isn't found until it is advanced. Surgery is the only potential cure, but only some pancreatic cancers can be removed with surgery.

What affects prognosis?

The stage of pancreatic cancer is one of the most important factors affecting prognosis, which is the expected course of the cancer. In people who have surgery, prognosis also can be affected by whether cancer is found in nearby lymph nodes and whether the surgeon was able to remove all of the cancer. Other tumor characteristics and levels of the tumor marker CA 19-9 also may provide information about prognosis.

These factors are one reason survival statistics can't predict exactly how long one person will live. Your healthcare team can consider information about your cancer and treatment when discussing what survival statistics may mean for you.

What you can do

Survival statistics describe what happened in large groups of people, but they can't predict exactly what will happen to one person. Treatment and the cancer's response to treatment can vary greatly.

Ask your healthcare team what the available survival statistics may mean for your situation. Your care team can consider the cancer's stage, treatment options and other individual factors when discussing your outlook.

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Sept. 17, 2026

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