Survival
VIPoma is a type of neuroendocrine tumour (NET) that usually starts in the pancreas. Survival for VIPomas depends on many factors. So you should only use these statistics as a guide.
Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Because VIPomas are rare tumours, the survival of this disease is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.
These are general statistics based on small groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case. Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis).
About these statistics
The terms 1 year, 5 year and 10 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1, 5 or 10 years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 or 10 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 or 10 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 or 10 years after diagnosis.
Survival for VIPomas
There are no survival statistics for VIPomas. It is difficult to collect data because VIPomas are so rare. The studies that are available only include a small number of people with VIPomas.
An American study looked at the length of time from diagnosis to the point at which half of the patients with VIPoma were still alive. This is called median survival.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures may not be a true picture of survival in the UK. Also, some of the people in this study were diagnosed a long time ago. People diagnosed now might have different and better treatments.
This study found that the median survival for people with VIPoma is around 8 years. This means that around half of people with VIPoma live for around 8 years or more.
This survival statistic comes from an American study. It looked at people diagnosed with a malignant (cancerous) functioning pancreatic NET between 1973 and 2011.
Malignant-functioning neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas: A survival analysis
X Keutgen and others
Surgery 2016, May: Volume 159, issue 5, pages 1382 - 9
Survival for NETs of the pancreas
1 year survival
The information below is for 1 year overall survival for pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) in the UK.
Around 80 in 100 people (around 80%) survive for 1 year or more.
5 year survival
There are no UK-wide 5 year survival statistics available for pancreatic NENs. The statistics below are from a European study. Please be aware that these figures may not be a true picture of survival in the UK. This is due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population,
Around 40 out of 100 people (around 40%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
1 year survival
This 1 year survival rate comes from a study done by Public Health England. The study looked at 1,415 people diagnosed with a pancreatic NEN in England between 2013 and 2015.
Impact of neuroendocrine morphology on cancer outcomes and stage at diagnosis: a UK nationwide cohort study 2013–2015
T Genus and others
British Journal of Cancer (2019) Volume 121, pages 966–972
5 year survival
These statistics are from a European study which included 1635 people diagnosed with pancreatic NENs. The patients came from different European countries (including the UK) and were diagnosed between 1995 and 2002. The 5 year relative survival statistics are for people diagnosed between 2000 and 2002.
Rare neuroendocrine tumours: Results of the surveillance of rare cancers in Europe project
J Maartaen Van de Zwan and others
European Journal of Cancer, 2013. Volume 49, Issue 11, Pages 2565-2578
These 5 year survival statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people will die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
What affects survival
Survival depends on many factors. It depends on the stage and grade of the tumour when it was diagnosed. The stage describes the size of the tumour and whether it has spread. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under a microscope.
Another factor is how well you are overall.
What next?
You might want to read our information about treatment for VIPomas.
