The Myth of 97% Mortality in Oncology and the Business That Is Real

The 97% mortality rate in oncology is a myth: the real business is $291 billion

In 2025, a study on the global oncology workforce estimated there were 83,000 medical oncologists worldwide, registered across 105 countries. This figure emerged during a debate that mixed data, perceptions, and the slogan: 'each oncologist loses an average of 10 patients per month, 97% of whom they treat.' This 97% is simply false. Records from 2024 speak of 20.6 million new annual cases and 9.8 million deaths, resulting in a mortality rate of 47.5%, not 97%. But the business surrounding cancer is real: $291 billion annually in oncological drugs.

The 97% figure does not align with records

The calculation is simple. If every oncologist lost 97% of their patients, they would be losing touch with reality. The truth is that survival has improved notably in recent decades, especially for tumors like breast or prostate cancer. However, this improvement is not always reflected in positive public perception. The survival bias plays against the reality: it is those who die that are remembered, while those who survive disappear from the conversation.

Overdiagnosis and Cancers That Remit Naturally

One of the most uncomfortable points is overdiagnosis. A study by Zahl, Maehlen, and Welch published in 2008 in Archives of Internal Medicine compared 119,472 Norwegian patients between the ages of 50 and 64: one group underwent biennial mammograms between 1996 and 2001, while the other group underwent only one at the end of the period. If no tumors disappeared on their own, both groups should have ended up with the same cumulative number of cases. This was not the case. The conclusion: some cancers detected through screening would never have caused symptoms.

Another study by Bell et al., from 2015, reviewed 29 autopsy studies in more than 20 countries and found undiagnosed prostate cancer in 5% of men under 30, a figure that rises to 59% in those over 79. Six out of ten elderly patients die from something else with cancer present that never manifested.

The Cancer Business: $291 Billion

The oncological drug market generates $291 billion annually. This scale explains why the official narrative focuses on advances rather than uncomfortable debates. Some argue that chemotherapy is a poison that kills healthy cells, and that ketogenic diets or fasting could be alternatives. Scientific evidence does not support these claims, but the conflict of interest between industry and research is a fact. The case of Steve Jobs, who delayed conventional treatment by nine months to test alternative therapies and then died, is cited as a warning. Actor Dirk Benedict, conversely, attributes his remission to a strict diet in a mountain cabin.

Is Living Longer Worth It?

The final question is uncomfortable: is it worth prolonging life at the cost of aggressive treatments? Spanish registries, such as REDECAN, with over 600,000 patients and 26% coverage of the population, show real improvements in survival. But quality of life is a factor not included in statistics. One patient may survive 15 years with treatment that leaves severe sequelae, while another may prefer a dignified death without undergoing chemotherapy. The debate remains open, and the data does not close it out.