The likelihood of a disease getting cured is the meaning of the term prognosis. There are several factors that affect a person’s prognosis of bone cancer.
- Type and location of the cancer.
- The extent to which the cancer has developed in the patient. In other words, the stage of the cancerous growth in the patient.
- The cancer’s grade. It means the degree of abnormality of the cancer and the rate of spread and growth of the malignant cells.
- The patient’s response to the treatment given to him. This is affected by his general health and other factors.
When the bone cancer prognosis is evaluated by the doctors, each of the above mentioned factors are taken into consideration. These affect the patient’s disease and treatment, and thereby, have a bearing on how the disease is going to respond to treatment.
Moreover, the analysis of the patient’s condition by the doctor is also influenced by the latest researches carried out over the years and relevant information obtained from them. The case history of patients is also gives them a good insight into the chances of recovery of the patient. They particularly look out for those patients in the past that have symptoms most similar to that of the present day patient.
The prognosis can be promising or suggest a bleak chance as the case may be. The survival rates of people suffering from bone cancer suggest that patients at an earlier stage of the disease have a better chance of survival. The survival rate is calculated with various factors in mind. In particular, the survival rate of bone cancer patients is compared with that of the general population to arrive at a conclusive opinion about the condition of the patient.
The doctor cannot be expected to be accurate all the times. All you can expect is for him to use his best of abilities to predict or suggest a prognosis. That is why some doctors are held in high esteem, because their prognosis is better than the rest. In any case, the prognosis is likely to alter with changing conditions or unexpected developments, about which the doctors are not endowed to do anything. So, you will need to keep your fingers crossed.
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