Survival for soft tissue sarcomas

Survival depends on different factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live.

Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Because this cancer is less common, survival is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.

These are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can't tell you what will happen in your individual case.

About these statistics

The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.

The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.

5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.

Survival for all types and stages of soft tissue sarcomas

There are no UK-wide statistics available for soft tissue sarcoma survival by stage. These statistics are for people diagnosed between 2014 and 2016 for all stages of bone sarcoma in England:

• almost 85 out of 100 people (almost 85%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more
• almost 70 out of 100 people (almost 70%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more

Survival for different types of soft tissue sarcomas

The statistics below are for sarcomas diagnosed in England between 2014 and 2016. They are from the Get Data Out programme from the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS). These are the most recent statistics we have that includes 1 and 5 year survival.

There are many different types of soft tissue sarcoma. Your outlook depends on which type you have. If you want to know more about your specific type of sarcoma, talk to your specialist. 

We have information about: 

• leiomyosarcoma
• liposarcoma
• myofibrosarcomas and other fibroblastic sarcomas
• myxoid fibroblastic sarcomas
• rhabdomyosarcoma
• synovial sarcoma
• vascular sarcomas
• malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNST)
• gastrointestinal stromal sarcoma (GIST)

Please remember that these statistics are for everybody diagnosed with each type of cancer. The figures do not take into account other factors that affect your survival, such as the stage and grade of your cancer, your age, where the cancer is, or how well treatment works. Your doctor can tell you more about your own outlook.

Leiomyosarcoma

Around 80 out of every 100 people (around 80%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

55 out of every 100 people (55%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

The outlook for leiomyosarcoma is affected by age. Generally, people who are younger than 50 have a better outlook than those in older age groups.

Liposarcoma

Almost 90 out of every 100 people (almost 90%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Around 75 out of every 100 people (around 75%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

The outlook for liposarcoma is affected by age. People who are younger than 60 years old have a better outlook than those aged 70 years or older.

Myofibrosarcomas and other fibroblastic sarcomas

Around 90 out of every 100 (around 90%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Almost 75 out of every 100 people (almost 75%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Myxoid fibroblastic sarcomas

Around 90 out of every 100 (around 90%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Almost 80 out of every 100 people (almost 80%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Rhabdomyosarcoma

More than 70 out of every 100 (more than 70%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Around 50 out of every 100 people (around 50%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Synovial sarcoma

More than 85 out of every 100 (more than 85%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Around 60 out of every 100 people (around 60%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Vascular sarcoma

60 out of every 100 (60%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Around 35 out of every 100 people (around 35%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours

Around 75 out of every 100 (around 75%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

55 out of every 100 people (55%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Gastrointestinal stromal sarcoma (GIST)

Almost 95 out of every 100 (almost 95%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.

Around 85 out of every 100 people (around 85%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

What affects survival

Your outlook depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread.

Survival is also affected by where the cancer is in your body.

If you have chemotherapy before surgery, the doctors will look at your tumour to see how well it has responded to chemotherapy. If you have a good response your outlook is better.

More statistics