system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Do cancer survival statistics include patients who don't take their drugs?

My wife has been diagnosed with cancer.  We've learned that many people refuse treatment, and many other people simply fail to show up for radiation or chemotherapy.  I assume that most of them die.  My question is: do these patients count toward the survival statistics?  If so, how much better would the statistics be if these folks were ruled out?

[Edit] The statistics I usually look at come from the National Cancer Institute and SEER.
gpt
You need to look at the specific constraints imposed on collected data.  If it's some undergrad who's just compiled a contrast of hospital-reported diagnosis and mortality rates, then yes, it'll include those who refuse treatment.

This is a fundamental issue with statistics, and why numbers should never, ever be trusted unless you've *actually read* the study they came from.  Numbers reported by news services are rarely useful, as they're pandering to a demographic that wants quick snips and broad strokes.  Data like this can't be simplified to that level and still be useful.