Colorectal cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer after cancer of the lung and breast. The age-adjusted death rates in the major industrialized countries of the world are shown in Table 7.1 [1]. There has been little change in death rates over the last 50 years because, although there have been some improvements in survival, these have been masked by the increase in the incidence of the disease. The 5-year survival for colon cancer remains around 40% because of the late detection of the disease. In patients with nonresectable or disseminated disease at the time of presentation, the median survival is 7 months. In those who undergo surgery for their primary tumor and who undergo an apparently curative resection, over half will die within 5 years and 80% will have a recurrence within 2 years. Table 7.1 Age-adjusted death rates for colorectal cancer in the major industrialized countries of the world

Age-adjusted death rates (year 2000) per 100 000 population

Country

Male

Female

Germany

21.7

17.0

UK

18.7

13.8

France

18.3

12.1

Canada

16.4

11.6

USA

15.9

12.0

Japan

17.6

11.0

Russian Federation

17.5

12.7

Abstracted from [1].