Survival for oesophageal cancer

Survival depends on many factors. No one can tell you exactly how long you will live.

Below 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 by stage

There are no UK-wide statistics available for oesophageal cancer survival by stage.

Survival statistics are available for each stage of oesophageal cancer in England. These figures are for people diagnosed between 2016 and 2020. 

Please bear in mind that these statistics do not take into account what treatment people had.

Stage 1

Almost 65 out of 100 people (almost 65%) with stage 1 oesophageal cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed. 

Stage 2

Around 30 out of 100 people (around 30%) with stage 2 oesophageal cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed. 

Stage 3

Around 20 out of 100 people (around 20%) with stage 3 oesophageal cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed. 

Stage 4

There are no 5 year survival statistics for stage 4 cancer. NHS England does provide statistics for 4 year survival for people with stage 4 oesophageal cancer.

5 out of 100 people (5%) with stage 4 oesophageal cancer will survive their cancer for 4 years or more after they are diagnosed.

Survival for all stages of oesophageal cancer

For people with oesophageal cancer in England:

• more than 45 out of every 100 (more than 45%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed

• almost 20 out of every 100 (almost 20%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more

• more than 10 out of 100 (more than 10%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more

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.

The type of cancer and grade of the cancer cells can also affect your survival. Grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.

Your general fitness and other health conditions also affect survival. Health conditions could affect the treatments you can have. And good general fitness might help you cope better with your cancer and treatment.

More statistics

For more in-depth information about survival and oesophageal cancer, go to our Cancer Statistics section.