How many people in the US get colorectal cancer?
About 148,000 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2022 and over 53,000 died in 2023.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 147,931 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2022, making it the fourth most common cancer in the US. In 2023, it was the second deadliest cancer nationwide, with 53,779 people dying from colorectal cancer-related causes.
Since 2000, new case numbers have ranged from a high of 153,916 in 2003 to a low of 133,862 in 2020 (the CDC partly attributes this low to the fact that screenings dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic).
There were nearly three times as many new colorectal cancer cases as deaths in 2022.
Total colorectal cancer incidence and deaths, 2000–2023
Between 2000 and 2022, nearly 3.4 million people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer —about the equivalent of the entire population of Nevada, or an average of around 400 new cases daily. It made up about 9.1% of all new cancer diagnoses during those years.
In 2022, there were about 1.42 million people living with colorectal cancer in the US, meaning one out of every 236 people were directly affected by the disease.
Total cases and death, however, do not account for population growth or aging. Rates do, which makes them better for comparing changes over time.
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Are colorectal cancer rates increasing?
Overall, no: The nation’s colorectal cancer diagnosis rate was 36.7 per 100,000 people in 2022, down 34.1% since 2000. The death rate was 12.7 per 100,000 people in 2023, down 38.6%.
Colorectal cancer death rates fell 38.6% from 2000 to 2023.
Rate of colorectal cancer incidence and deaths per 100,000 people, 2000–2023
Are colorectal cancer rates rising for young adults?
Although the overall rate is declining, some age groups have seen increases.
Among people ages 15 to 39, new case rates rose 80.6% since 2000, and death rates increased 12.5%. This group made up 4.0% of colorectal cancer cases in 2022 and 1.8% of deaths in 2023.
The rate of new colorectal cancer cases for kids younger than fifteen was 161 in 2022, which was 0.1% of all cases. This rate of new colorectal cancer cases was three times higher in 2022 than 2012.
Since 2000, case rates among Americans ages 40 to 64 have declined by 1.3%, and deaths have decreased by 11.2%. This age group made up 40.7% of new cases in 2022 and 30.4% of deaths in 2023.
For adults ages 65 and older, the rate of new colorectal cases has dropped 51.5% and deaths have dropped 47.4%.
Colorectal cancer rates have risen for all age groups under 40 since at least 2012.
Rate of colorectal cancer incidence per 100,000 people by age, 2000–2022
According to the National Cancer Institute, experts don’t know exactly what’s causing the jump in colorectal cancer among young adults, although they’ve identified risk factors including obesity, smoking, and lack of physical activity.
It attributes the decline in colorectal cancer rates among older adults mainly to frequent colonoscopies and reduced smoking rates.
Colorectal cancer rates by sex, race, and ethnicity
As with overall cancer case rates, men exhibit higher rates of colorectal cancer than women. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native populations face the highest incidence among racial groups.
New colorectal cases are highest among American Indian/Alaska Native men, while deaths are highest among Black men.
Rate of colorectal cancer incidence and deaths per 100,000 people, by demographic
There are many possible explanations for these disparities. Contributing factors include access to healthcare, environmental conditions, lifestyle behaviors, and genetics.
Cancer health disparities are also associated with factors such as healthcare coverage and socioeconomic status. A person’s socioeconomic status is determined by factors like income and education, which directly affects both their access to healthcare and whether they engage in risky behaviors like tobacco use.
What are the stages of cancer?
Cancer staging — determining the size of tumors and how they’ve spread — helps doctors and patients understand the severity of a diagnosis.
The TNM staging system is the most-used and defines five stages of cancer, from Stage 0 (some abnormal cells are present but haven’t spread) to Stage IV (tumors have spread to distant parts of the body, indicating advanced disease). Localized cancers are those in stage 0 or I; distant cancers are stage IV.
What are colorectal cancer survival rates by stage?
Based on the most recent data, 66.3% of colorectal cancer patients are likely to survive for at least five years, but survival rates depend heavily on which stage of cancer the person was in when diagnosed. Distant stages have a five-year survival rate of 16.3%. Localized stage survival rates were 5.6 times higher at 92.0%.
Colorectal cancer survival rates vary greatly depending on the stage at diagnosis.
Colorectal cancer by stage at diagnosis, five-year relative survival rate, 2017
How many people die from colorectal cancer?
From 2000 to 2023, nearly 1.3 million people died from colorectal cancer, an average of roughly 152 people a day. Death totals ranged from 57,434 in 2000 to 51,516 in 2013.
Annual colorectal cancer-related deaths fell 6.4% between 2000 and 2023. The CDC attributes early detection through regular screening, as a factor in the drop of the colorectal cancer death rate.
What are some causes and risk factors associated with colorectal cancer?
Medical professionals have identified several risk factors:
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
- A personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps.
- A genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
Behavioral risk factors that individuals can more directly control include insufficient exercise, lack of fruits and vegetables, consuming processed meats, and alcohol and tobacco use.
What’s the difference between colon and colorectal cancers?
“Colorectal cancer” refers to cancers that can develop in the colon or the rectum, but “colon cancer” means a subset of cancers limited to the colon. The colon is the largest part of the large intestine, leading to the rectum, which connects to the anus. Colon and rectal cancers are distinct conditions with key differences — beside where they occur — like different risk factors and treatments.
Since 2000, 71.7% of colorectal cancers have been diagnosed as colon cancer. The remaining 28.3% have been rectal cancer.
Where does this data come from?
Where does this data come from?
Incidence and mortality data published in this article comes from CDC’s WONDER database of cancer statistics. They’re collated with slightly different methodologies due to the nature of the data.
- Incidence data comes from the National Program of Cancer Registries, which operates within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program from the National Cancer Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health). Through these programs, the CDC financially supports cancer registries in 46 states, Washington, DC, and US territories; the joint data collection efforts represent 97% of the US population.
- Mortality data comes from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The registry covers the entire US population through all 50 states, two cities (the Washington, DC, and New York City), and five territories. The CDC’s methodology for its mortality age-adjustment was revised as of 2018.
Five-year survival rate data come from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER 21 registry. This dataset utilizes information from 21 cancer registries across the US and it represents 48.5% of the population.
These data collection efforts are intended to provide comprehensive and standardized registries so that researchers, policy makers, practitioners and the public can monitor the burden of cancer; evaluate cancer-related programs and prevention strategies; and identify local, state and national needs.
The CDC publishes a dashboard of cancer statistics with graphics and maps to illustrate incidence and mortality cancer trends over time, by cancer type, and by geography.
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