Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum. Studies estimate that by 2030 the prevalence rate of colorectal cancer will have risen 60 percent to 2.2 million new cases,¹ compared to 1.4 million new cases each year today,² and over 1 million deaths. Colorectal cancer is more prevalent in low and middle income nations than high income nations, and has a higher mortality rate.³ Colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent cancer in the world. Hungary, South Korea and Slovakia have the highest national rates of colorectal cancer, with between 43.8 and 51.2 cases for every 100,000 people.⁴ It accounts for 700,000 cancer deaths worldwide each year. While the survival rate is 90 percent for colorectal cancer diagnosed at an early stage, the survival rate is just 13 percent for those whose cancer has progressed to late stages.⁵ In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The lifetime risk for men developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 22, or 4.49 percent compared to women, whose risk is 1 in 24, or 4.15 percent.⁶