Colorectal cancer prognosis depends greatly on the stage of the cancer or the extent of the tumor at diagnosis. Usually, 5-year survival rate for a colorectal cancer diagnosed at stage 1 is approximately 94%. In fact, majority of patients who have their cancer detected early are completely cured. However, colorectal cancer is often diagnosed late when the tumor has already severely damaged the colon.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the overall 5-year relative survival rate for 1999-2005 from 17 SEER geographic areas was 65.2%. Five-year relative survival rates by race and sex were:
- 66.3% for white men
- 65.9% for white women
- 55.5% for black men
- 56.7% for black women.