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How would you translate the terms "survival" and "overall survival" as used in an academic/medical text, for example in the sentence "The new drug improved overall survival for ovarian cancer patients by 60 %."
I've been using "Überleben" and "Gesamtüberleben", but it sounds awkward. Does it need to be translated at all? Is there a standard or common usage for German medical texts?
In addition to use the technical term "Überlebensrate":
Das neue Medikament verbesserte die (Gesamt)überlebensrate aller Patientinnen mit einem Ovarialkarzinom um 60%.
What you could also use in another context, and if there is no statistical survival rate (in the given example the small but significant "by" indicates that this might be the case here - that's why I changed the numbers):
Mit der neuen Therapie überlebten (insgesamt) 20% aller Patientinnen mit einem Ovaralkarzinom.
"Gesamt-" or "insgesamt" translates to overall here.
Gesamt~ oder aller? Die Überlebensrate aller Patienten stieg auf 100% (außer der toten).
– user unknown
Aug 16 '11 at 12:41
I would go with "Überlebensrate" (rate of survival), which is the quota or amount of people that survive.
"Überlebenschance" (chance of survival) looks more elegant but is not used in the given context.
Das neue Medikament verbesserte die Überlebensrate der Patienten mit einem Ovarialkarzinom um 60%.
Die Rate der Patienten ist ja die Anzahl derer, die überlebten dividiert durch die Anzahl aller Patienten. Von 'Gesamt~' oder 'allen' zu sprechen ist daher Quatsch.
Abweichend könnte man von einer Steigerung der Überlebenschance je Patient um 60% sprechen.
