Survival by stage

Survival statistics are broken down by stage.  However, these are only statistics that are drawn from a large group of patients.  An individual — like you — may have a very different experience.

These numbers come from outcomes for patients from 1991 through 2000. Improvements in treatments in the past few years will have changed the numbers for the better. For example, in 2000, only two drugs were available to treat people with stage IV colorectal cancer, and on average, most people diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer died within a year of their diagnosis.

Today, there are seven drugs approved for use in patients with colorectal cancer, and many people with stage IV colorectal cancer are living more than two years after diagnosis.  In fact, some of the new treatments, combined with surgery, have led to a cure for some people with metastatic disease.  In addition, research has found more effective treatment for people with stage III disease, which decreases the chance that the cancer will recur.

Thus, use these tables as a very general guide, not as a prediction for your own life.

The survival statistics for colon cancer below reflect the risk of dying of colon cancer or any other cause within five years of diagnosis.

Rectal cancer rates below are relative. They are adjusted for people who may have died of other causes and include only the risk of dying of rectal cancer within five years.