Statistics for Colorectal Cancer

Statistics show what happens to large groups of people. But because no 2 people are alike, you can not use them to predict what may happen to you.

These statistics come from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2007.

• Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States.

• For men, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer. Prostate is the first, and lung cancer is the second.

• For women, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer. Breast cancer is the first, and lung cancer is the second.

• The main risk factor is age. More than 90% of the people with this cancer are older than age 50.

• In 2007, it’s expected that about 112,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer. It’s expected that about 41,000 people will be told they have rectal cancer.

• Colorectal cancer is a bit more common in men than women.

• Colorectal cancer accounts for 1 out of every 10 cancer deaths. The death rate for colorectal cancer has gone down for the past 20 years.

• There are currently around 1 million survivors of colorectal cancer in the United States.