Excluding Skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.  The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for the number of colorectal cancer cases in the United States are for 2011:

• 101,700 new cases of colon cancer
• 39,510 new cases of rectal cancer

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 20 (5.1%).  This risk is slightly lower in women than in men.
.