Survival for large bowel and rectal NETs
Survival for large bowel and rectal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) depends on many factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live.
These are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case.
Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis).
About these statistics
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
Survival for large bowel and rectal NETs
1 year survival
The 1 year survival statistics below are for people diagnosed with large bowel (colon) and rectal NETS in the UK.
- More than 70 in 100 people (more than 70%) with a large bowel (colon) NET survive for 1 year or more
- Around 80 in 100 people (around 80%) with a rectal NET survive for 1 year or more
These statistics are from a UK study, which included 734 people diagnosed with large bowel (colon) NETs and 622 people diagnosed with rectal NETS. They were diagnosed between 2013 and 2015.
Impact of neuroendocrine morphology on cancer outcomes and stage at diagnosis: a UK nationwide cohort study 2013–2015
T Genus and others
British Journal of Cancer (2019) Volume 121, pages 966–972
5 year survival
There are no UK-wide 5 year survival statistics available for large bowel and rectal NETs. The statistics below are from a European study. Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures may not be a true picture of survival in the UK.
Around 65 in 100 people (around 65%) with a large bowel (colon) NET survive their cancer for 5 years or more.
Around 75 in 100 people (around 75%) with a rectal NET survive their cancer for 5 years or more.
These statistics are from a European study which included 1425 people diagnosed with large bowel (colon) NETs, and 1072 people diagnosed with rectal NETs. The patients came from different European countries (including the UK) and were diagnosed between 1995 and 2002.
The 5 year survival statistics are for people diagnosed between 2000 and 2002. The paper does not state how many patients this would be. But it should be large enough to create a reliable idea of survival in Europe.
Rare neuroendocrine tumours: Results of the surveillance of rare cancers in Europe project
J Maartaen Van de Zwan and others
European Journal of Cancer Volume 49, Issue 11 July 2013, Pages 2565-2578
These 5 year survival statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people will die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
What affects survival
Survival depends on many factors. It depends on the stage and grade of the NET when it was diagnosed. The stage describes the size of the tumour and whether it has spread. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under a microscope.
It also depends on:
- how well you are generally
- whether you have a large bowel NET or a rectal NET
