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 2023 are:
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. It is also more common in White women and Black men.
The risk of being diagnosed with anal cancer during one’s lifetime is about 1 in 500. The risk is higher in people with certain risk factors for anal cancer.
The number of people who die from anal cancer each year has been rising, but 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 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 oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2023. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2023
Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, Miller D, Brest A, Yu M, Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z, Mariotto A, Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2016, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2016/, based on November 2018 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, April 2019.
Last Revised: January 12, 2023
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.