Colorectal cancer: key points
- In Scotland, colorectal cancer was the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women in 2020. It was also the fourth most common cause of death from cancer in 2020.
- In 2020, 1,801 men and 1,508 women were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in Scotland.
- Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, colorectal cancer accounts for 12.0% of all cancers diagnosed in men, and 9.8% of all cancers diagnosed in women.
- Based on current rates of disease, an estimated 1 in 17 men, and 1 in 21 women develop colorectal cancer during their lifetime.
- Over the last ten years, the age-standardised mortality rate of colorectal cancer decreased by 3.2% in men, and 0.4% in women.
- The incidence of colorectal cancer is higher in Scotland than England. The incidence rates for Scotland fall within the mid-upper range of rates for other countries that have data available for comparison.
- The main risk factors for colorectal cancer are dietary (i.e. vegetables and fibre are probably protective, red meat may increase risk), obesity, lack of physical activity, genetic factors, and (probably) long-term smoking.
- Survival from colorectal cancer has increased substantially over the last 30 years. For both men and women, the relative survival at five years increased from 42.3% for patients diagnosed during 1987-91 to 60.4% for those diagnosed during 2007-2011.
- Incidence and Mortality from colorectal cancer is significantly higher among people living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation.
- Although there is no recent evidence of any health boards in Scotland having worse survival from colorectal cancer than the average for Scotland, previous audits and international comparisons have suggested possible scope for improving outcomes from colorectal cancer in Scotland.
Key statistics:
| Males | Females | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of cases diagnosed in 2020 | 1,801 | 1,508 |
| Prevalence at 31st Dec 2020 (cases / 100,000 pop)1 | 503.7 | 401.2 |
| Number of deaths in 2020 | 908 | 788 |
| % surviving 5 years after diagnosis2 | 57.5% | 55.7% |
| Lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer (from birth) | 5.8% | 4.7% |
| Lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer (from age 54) | 5.5% | 4.4% |
Notes:
1) Number of colorectal cancer survivors at 31 Dec 2020 who had been diagnosed in the previous 20 years per 100,000 population.
2) Five year relative survival for patients diagnosed during the period 2013-2017 (age-standardised).
Section updates:
- The last major update of this section was completed in August 2021.
- The next major update is due to be carried out by end June 2022.
