Five-year survival might be the most misleading statistic in medicine. For example, suppose 5-year survival for a hypothetical cancer is What can we infer from these statistics? In fact, none of these inferences are correct. Let’s take them one at a time. Particularization Here’s the first incorrect inference: If a patient is diagnosed early, and 5-year survival is 91%, it is tempting to think the probability is 91% that they will survive five years after diagnosis. This is almost correct... Read More Read More