U.S. Cancer Statistics Colorectal Cancer Stat Bite
In the United States in 2020—
- 126,240 new colorectal cancers were reported.
- 51,869 people died from colorectal cancer.
Males had higher rates of getting and dying from colorectal cancer than females.
Stage Distribution
From 2016 to 2020, about 1 in 3 colorectal cancer cases were diagnosed at a localized stage, meaning the cancer had not spread outside the colon or rectum. Almost 4 in 10 colorectal cancers were found at a regional stage (the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs), and about 2 in 10 were found at a distant stage (the cancer had spread to distant parts of the body).
5-Year Relative Survival
64% of colorectal cancer patients who were diagnosed from 2013 to 2019 had not died from their cancer 5 years later.
Survival is higher when colorectal cancer is found before it spreads to other parts of the body. Screening tests can prevent colorectal cancer or find it early, when treatment works best.
Among people diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 2015 to 2019, 473,264 were still alive on January 1, 2020.
2020 cancer incidence was lower than in 2019, and this may have been because of the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on cancer screening, diagnosis, and reporting to some central cancer registries in 2020. This report uses cancer incidence statistics from 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect survival and prevalence statistics which use data through 2019. For more information, see Highlights From 2020 Incidence.
For more cancer data, visit U.S. Cancer Statistics. Use the Data Visualizations tool to make your own tables, graphs, and maps.
Data Sources
Data are from U.S. Cancer Statistics, the official federal cancer statistics.
U.S. Cancer Statistics incidence data are from population-based registries that participate in CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, or both programs and met high-quality data criteria for the 2022 data submission, covering 97% of the U.S. population.
U.S. Cancer Statistics death data are from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics System and cover 100% of the U.S. population.
U.S. Cancer Statistics survival and prevalence data are from 39 NPCR registries that met high-quality data criteria for the 2022 data submission and conducted linkage with the National Death Index and/or active patient follow-up, covering 83% of the U.S. population. Five-year relative survival estimates are based on cases diagnosed from 2013 to 2019. Five-year limited-duration prevalence estimates are based on cases diagnosed from 2015 to 2019.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Cancer Statistics Colorectal Cancer Stat Bite. US Department of Health and Human Services; 2023.