overall survival

Overall survival refers to the length of time from a specified starting point, such as diagnosis or treatment, during which patients are still alive. It’s a common way to measure how effective a treatment or how aggressive a disease is. For example, if a study reports a five-year overall survival rate of 70%, it means about 70% of patients are alive five years after diagnosis or treatment. This measure focuses solely on survival status and does not consider quality of life or symptoms, providing an overall picture of prognosis.