[Note: Intestinal cancer is more frequently referred to as cancer of the small intestine, and that is how we will refer to it in this article.]
Cancer of the small intestine is an extremely rare cancer. In the US, 3,680 men and 3,280 women (6,960 people in all) will likely be diagnosed with this cancer in a given year, and 1,100 will die from it.
Incidence and Mortality
The median age at diagnosis for cancer of the small intestine is 66 years old, and the median age at death for cancer of the small intestine is 71 years old.
Cancer of the small intestine: survival rates by stage
Survival rates for cancer of the small intestine are fairly good, especially when the disease is caught in its early stage. The following lists the extent to which the cancer is known to have spread, followed by what's known as a 5-year survival relative percentage—this figure represents the number of people expected to be alive 5 years after being diagnosed at each disease stage:
- -- Localized disease: 80.1%
- -- Regional disease: 68.6%
- -- Metastatic disease: 41.1%
- -- Stage unknown: 47.6%
Thus four of five patients with localized, early-stage cancer of the small intestine have an extremely good prognosis—a prognosis which is cut in half if the disease has metastasized.
Sources
National Cancer Institute SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Cancer of the small intestine
