Chemotherapy for cancer is a powerful treatment that involves taking medications to damage cancerous cells. The goal is to prevent these cells from dividing and multiplying. Chemotherapy success rates and cancer survival rates can vary.

This article outlines the use of chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of different cancers. We describe how many people with different types of cancer undergo chemotherapy as part of their treatment.

We also give information about survival rates for people with these types of cancer, according to the stage of cancer when a person received the diagnosis.

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There are a variety of factors that may affect how successful chemotherapy is and a person’s survival rate. These factors include:

Cancer survival rates

Cancer survival rates are one way to show how effective various treatments, including chemotherapy, can be.

A survival rate refers to the percentage of people who live for a certain amount of time after a cancer diagnosis.

Survival rates can also help people gain an understanding of their outlook because they provide information about the likely outcomes of people with similar cancers.

However, it is essential to remember that a range of factors influences survival rates and chemotherapy success rates. Many of these factors vary from person to person.

Cancer grade

Cancer grade is a measure of how abnormal the cancer cells appear under a microscope. More abnormal cells tend to grow and spread at a faster rate.

Cancer stage

Cancer stage indicates how large a tumor is and how far its cells have spread. A doctor can use various systems to determine what stage a cancer has reached.

They may use the following 0–5 scaling system:

  • Stage 0: Abnormal cells are present but have not spread to nearby cells.
  • Stages 1, 2, and 3: Cancer is present. Higher stages indicate larger tumors and a more extensive spread into nearby tissues.
  • Stage 4: The cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

Researchers who collect data to determine cancer statistics may use the following terms to describe the cancer stage:

  • In situ: Abnormal cells are present but have not spread to nearby tissues.
  • Localized: Cancer has not spread beyond the place where it first developed.
  • Regional: Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs.
  • Distant: Cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.

Other factors

Other factors that can affect the success of chemotherapy include:

  • age
  • overall health
  • any other medical conditions

In this article, we describe the next steps when chemotherapy is not effective.

People may receive chemotherapy, or chemo, alongside other treatments, such as surgery and radiotherapy. This can make it difficult for researchers to determine which therapy has what effect.

As such, it is not possible to provide success rates for chemotherapy alone. The following examples show overall survival rates for people with different types of cancer, along with the percentage of those receiving chemotherapy as part of their treatment.

The statistics below are from the American Cancer Society’s 2016–2017 report on cancer treatment and survivorship. The figures all refer to people in the United States.

This report uses 5-year relative survival rates, which describe the percentage of people who live for at least 5 years after their cancer diagnosis.

Most people with stage 1, 2, or 3 breast cancer undergo surgery as part of their treatment.

Some people may have a mastectomy, in which a surgeon removes the breast. Others may have breast conserving surgery (BCS), which involves removing the tumor and some of the surrounding healthy tissue.

Some people receive chemo with or instead of surgery.

The table below shows the percentages of females with breast cancer who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy, according to recent estimates.

Breast cancer stage
Treatment choiceStage 1 and 2Stage 3Stage 4
BCS plus chemo2%2%2%
BCS plus radiotherapy and chemo17%15%2%
Mastectomy plus chemo12%13%7%
Mastectomy plus radiotherapy and chemo6%48%7%
Radiotherapy and/or chemo without surgery1%4%48%
Total38%82%66%

Learn more about the stages of breast cancer here.

Breast cancer survival

The following table shows survival rates among females with breast cancer, depending on the stage at diagnosis.

Breast cancer stageLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis61%32%6%
5-year relative survival rate99%85%26%

This refers to cancer of the colon or rectum.

Surgical options for colorectal cancer include:

  • Colectomy: removal of part or all of the colon.
  • Proctectomy: removal of part or all of the rectum.
  • Proctocolectomy: removal of the rectum and part or all of the colon.

Colon cancer

The table below shows the percentages of people with colon cancer who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy.

Colon cancer stage
Treatment choiceStage 1 & 2Stage 3Stage 4
Colectomy and chemo10%67%40%
Chemo aloneless than 1%less than 1%26%
Totalapprox 11%approx 68%66%

Rectal cancer

The table below shows the percentages of people with rectal cancer who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy.

Rectal cancer stage
Treatment choiceStage 1Stage 2 & 3Stage 4
Tumor removal/destruction plus chemo and/or radiotherapy4%2%1%
Proctectomy/proctocolectomy plus chemo and/or radiotherapy28%67%31%
Chemo and/or radiotherapy without surgery4%13%49%
Total46%82%80%

Colorectal cancer survival

The following table gives information about survival rates for people with colorectal cancer, according to its stage at diagnosis.

Colorectal cancer stageLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis39%36%20%
5-year relative survival rate90%71%13%

Find out more about colorectal cancer here.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in cells called lymphocytes. These are immune system cells that help the body fight infection.

Around 69% of people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma receive chemo. Among them, 58% receive chemo alone, while 11% receive a combination of chemo and radiotherapy.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma survival

The following table gives information about survival rates for people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to its stage at diagnosis.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma stageLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis28%15%50%
5-year relative survival rate82%74%62%

Learn more about lymphoma here.

There are two types of lung cancer: small-cell and non-small cell (NSCLC).

Around 13% of lung cancers are small-cell. Most people with this type receive chemotherapy.

Approximately 83% of lung cancers are NSCLC. The remaining 3% are undefined.

The table below gives information about the types of treatment that people with NSCLC lung cancer receive.

NSCLC lung cancer stage
Treatment choiceEarly stage (1 & 2)Late stage (3 & 4)
Surgery plus chemo and/or radiotherapy16%7%
Chemo alone1%18%
Chemo plus radiotherapy without surgery6%35%
Total24%60%

Lung cancer survival

The following table shows survival rates for people with NSCLC lung cancer, according to the stage at diagnosis.

NSCLC lung cancer stageLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis16%22%57%
5-year relative survival rate55%27%4%

Find out more about lung cancer here.

Testicular cancer is cancer in one or both testicles. Around 97% of testicular cancers begin in the germ cells. These are cells that develop into sperm.

Tumors that develop from germ cells are called testicular germ cell tumors. There are two types: seminomatous tumors, which tend to be slow-growing, and non-seminomatous tumors, which usually grow more rapidly.

Seminomatous tumors

The table below shows the percentages of males who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy for early or late stage seminomatous testicular germ cell tumors.

Seminomatous tumor stage
Treatment choiceEarly stage (1 & 2)Late stage (3 & 4)
Surgery plus chemo22%66%
Surgery plus chemo and radiotherapyless than 1%4%
Chemo and/or radiotherapy without surgery1%21%
Totalapprox. 24%91%

Nonseminomatous tumors

The table below shows the percentages of males who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy for early or late stage nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors.

We also show the percentage of those who undergo a procedure called retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND).

Nonseminomatous tumor stage
Treatment choiceEarly stage (1 & 2)Late stage (3 & 4)
Surgery and chemo35%67%
Surgery, chemo, and RPLND9%18%
Chemo and/or radiotherapy without surgeryless than 1%8%
Totalapprox. 45%93%

Testicular cancer survival

The following table shows information about survival rates for males with testicular cancer, according to its stage at diagnosis. These figures combine data from people with either type of tumor.

Testicular cancer stageLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis68%18%12%
5-year relative survival rate99%96%74%

Learn more about testicular cancer here.

Most people with bladder cancer receive one of the following surgeries:

Transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, a minimally invasive procedure that involves removing the bladder tumor via the urethra.

Cystectomy, which involves removing part or all of the bladder, as well as the surrounding fatty tissue and lymph nodes.

About 52% of people with bladder cancer receive some form of chemotherapy treatment. Among them:

  • 20% undergo cystectomy plus chemo, radiotherapy, or both
  • 20% undergo transurethral resection plus chemo or radiotherapy
  • 9% undergo transurethral resection plus chemo and radiotherapy
  • 3% undergo chemo, radiotherapy, or both, but no surgery

Bladder cancer survival

The 5-year relative survival rate for localized bladder cancer varies by the type of cancer. Around 25% of bladder cancers invade the muscle wall of the bladder.

The 5-year relative survival rate is 47% for localized, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and 81% for localized bladder cancer that is not muscle-invasive.

The following table shows more information about survival rates for people with bladder cancer, according to the stage at diagnosis. Figures for invasive and noninvasive cancers are combined.

Bladder cancer stageIn situLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis51%35%7%4%
5-year relative survival rate96%70%34%5%

Find out more about bladder cancer here.

More than 90% of uterine cancers occur in the uterine corpus, the upper part of the uterus.

The table below shows the percentages of women who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy for uterine corpus cancer by stage.

Uterine corpus cancer stage
Treatment choiceEarly stage (1 & 2)Late stage (3 & 4)
Surgery plus chemo5%33%
Surgery plus chemo and radiotherapy6%28%
Chemo and/or radiotherapy without surgery1%12%
Total12%73%

Uterine corpus cancer survival

The following table shows information about survival rates among people with uterine corpus cancer, according to its stage at diagnosis.

UCC stageLocalizedRegionalDistant
% of people with this stage of cancer at diagnosis67%21%8%
5-year relative survival rate95%68%17%

Uterine cancer is also called endometrial cancer. Learn more here.

Usually, people receive chemotherapy alongside other treatments. This makes it difficult to determine a person’s survival rate and success with chemotherapy alone.

Many other factors affect treatment success, including the type and stage of cancer, as well as personal characteristics, such as age and overall health.

Survival rates provide an estimate based on the outcomes of people with similar cancer diagnoses.

A doctor, especially an oncologist, can take all the relevant factors into account and give a better idea about a person’s outlook.