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How common is colorectal cancer?

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society’s estimates for the number of colorectal cancer cases in the United States for 2016 are:

  • 95,270 new cases of colon cancer
  • 39,220 new cases of rectal cancer

Lifetime risk of colorectal cancer

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is: about 1 in 21 (4.7%) for men and 1 in 23 (4.4%) for women. This risk is slightly lower in women than in men. A number of other factors (described in Colorectal cancer risk factors) can also affect your risk for developing colorectal cancer.

Deaths from colorectal cancer



Statistics related to survival among people with colorectal cancer are discussed in What are the survival rates for colorectal cancer, by stage?


Last Medical Review: 10/15/2015
Last Revised: 01/20/2016