Commentary: Estimating cancer survival--which is the right approach? -- Rachet and Coleman 39 (2): 611 -- International Journal of Epidemiology

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"Cancer survival has become a key metric to assess the performance of health systems in delivering cancer care, both as part of national cancer programmes and in international comparisons. In this context, we need to know the survival of all cancer patients in the population, not just patients treated in a particular hospital or included in a clinical trial. Population-based survival estimates include all patients, including those who are not treated at all, either because their disease is too advanced at diagnosis for treatment of curative intent, or because they do not have access to the health-care system, or, in some countries, because of resource limitations such as the . . ."