Key Statistics Associated with Colorectal Cancer
- In the United States, excluding skin cancers, the third most common cancer diagnosed in both women and men is colorectal cancer. For 2015, the number of colorectal cancer cases estimated by the American Cancer Society in the United States are:
- colon cancer- 93,090 new cases
- rectal cancer- 39,610 new cases
- In total, about 1 in 20(5%), is the lifetime chance of developing colorectal cancer. In men, the risk is slightly higher than in women. The risk to a person to develop colorectal cancer can be affected by some other factors as well. In the section (“what are the risk factors for colorectal cancer”), these are described.
- When women and men are considered separately, in the United States, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths is colorectal cancer. When both sexes are combined, it is the second leading cause. During the year 2015, 49,700 deaths are expected to be caused by it.
- For more than 20 years now, in both women and men, the death rate from colorectal cancer has been dropping. There are several likely reasons that this is the case. One is that careful screening is finding polyps so that before they develop into cancer, they can be removed. Also, when the disease is easier to cure in the early stages, more colorectal cancers are being discovered. Also, in the last several years, there has been a big improvement in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This has resulted in the United States with there being more than one million survivors of colorectal cancer currently.
In the section survival rates for colorectal cancer by stage and what it is, you will find more information and statistics related to the survival of people with colorectal cancer.
