Which survival measure corresponds to describing the observed mortality patterns in a cohort of patients?

• A. Net survival
• B. Overall survival
• C. Cause-specific survival
• D. Relative survival

Answer: (B)

Overall survival tracks what happens to patients’ survival in a cohort by counting deaths from any cause. Because it uses actual observed deaths, it directly describes the mortality pattern seen in the group over time—how many people die and when, without trying to attribute the death to a specific cause or adjust for other risks.

Other measures change the interpretation: net survival estimates what survival would look like if cancer were the only cause of death, removing background mortality; cause-specific survival focuses only on deaths due to cancer and censors others; and relative survival compares observed survival to that expected in a comparable general population to estimate excess mortality from cancer. Since the question asks for describing observed mortality patterns in the cohort, overall survival is the most straightforward, descriptive measure.