What Are the Key Statistics About Anal Cancer?
Anal cancer is fairly rare – much less common than cancer of the colon or rectum. The American Cancer Society estimates for anal cancer in the United States for 2017 are:
- About 8,200 new cases (5,250 in women and 2,950 in men)
- About 1,100 deaths (650 in women and 450 in men)
The number of new anal cancer cases has been rising for many years. Anal cancer is rare in people younger than 35 and is found mainly in older adults, with an average age being in the early 60s.
The risk of being diagnosed with anal cancer during one’s lifetime is about 1 in 500. The risk is slightly higher in women than in men. The risk is also higher in people with certain risk factors for anal cancer.
Treatment for anal cancer is often very effective, and many patients with this cancer can be cured. But anal cancer can be a serious condition. For information on survival, see the section, “ Survival rates by stage of anal cancer.”
Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and master’s-prepared nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Medical Review: April 9, 2014 Last Revised: January 5, 2017
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