Different survival rates are associated with different cancer sites. Many factors influence a cancer patient's survival. These figures provide average survival rates for Europeans based on the exact cancer site in the colon or rectum. The five-year survival rate represents the percentage of patients alive five years after their initial cancer diagnosis.
It's important to note that all the different tumor stages are combined in these survival statistics. So, if a tumor is diagnosed at an early stage (stage 1), the survival rate will likely be higher than shown here. Likewise, if a tumor is diagnosed at a late stage (stage 4), the survival rate will likely be lower than shown here.
Five-Year Survival Statistics by Cancer Site
- Rectosigmoid junction: 40%
- Rectum: 42%
- Transverse colon: 42%
- Right colon: 44%
- Descending colon: 47%
- Left colon: 48%
- Ascending colon: 49%
These survival statistics were derived from a study published in the European Journal of Cancer. Researchers analyzed survival rates for approximately 150,000 colorectal cancer patients from 17 European countries. The data was obtained from 40 cancer registries that contributed to the EUROCARE study. It's important to note that the patients had received treatment between 1985 and 1989. Colorectal cancer treatments continually evolve and survival rates have likely improved since the late 1980's.
Source: Gattaj, G. and Ciccolallo, L. "Differences in Colorectal Cancer Survival Between European and US Populations: The Importance of Sub-Site and Morphology." European Journal of Cancer 39.15 (Oct. 2003): 2214-2222. PubMed. 20 Aug. 2006 [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14522381&dopt=Abstract].
