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Our Brain Tumour Information Pack can help you better understand your diagnosis and feel confident talking to your medical team.
A prognosis is when your doctor gives you a forecast of the likely outcome of your medical condition.
Your doctor cannot be absolutely certain about what will happen to you following a diagnosis of a brain tumour. They can give you an estimate, based on your tumour type and current situation, but they may not be able to predict other factors, such as how well you might respond to treatment. This is why prognosis is often an ongoing process, revised at different stages in your journey.
The figures listed below are given in 1, 2, 5 and 10 year intervals simply because doctors use these intervals for research/measuring purposes – they are not meant to represent how long a person will live past those intervals. For example, a patient who is a 5 year survivor might live as long as any other healthy person, depending on their circumstances.
It is important to remember that statistics and averages cannot tell you what will happen to you specifically.
The average survival time after surgery is 6 - 8 years. More than 40% of people live more than 10 years.
About 27% of people diagnosed with a high grade astrocytoma live for five years or more.
Read more about astrocytoma brain tumour types and treatments.
Different people approach their prognosis in different ways.
There is no right or wrong answer as to whether or when to receive such information. It is entirely up to you whether or when you want to speak to your doctor about your prognosis.
If you need someone to talk to or advice on where to get help, our Support and Information team is available by phone, email or live-chat.
If you have further questions, need to clarify any of the information on this page, or want to find out more about research and clinical trials, please contact our team:
0808 800 0004 (free from landlines and mobiles)
support@thebraintumourcharity.org
Phone lines open Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00
clinicaltrials@thebraintumourcharity.org
You can also join our active online community - Join our online support groups.