Stage at Diagnosis

Background

Cancers can be diagnosed at different stages in their development. Stage of cancer diagnosis may be expressed as numbers (for example, I, II, III, or IV) or by terms such as “localized,” “regional,” and “distant.” The lower the number or the more localized the cancer, the better a person’s chances of benefiting from treatment.

Tracking the rates of late-stage (distant) cancers is a good way to monitor the impact of cancer screening. When more cancers are detected in early stages, fewer should be detected in late stages.

Both rates of late stage disease and stage proportions are provided below since each has a somewhat different interpretation. For example, rates could be declining among all stages of disease, but the proportion of late stage disease among diagnosed cases could be relatively constant.

Measure

Late-stage diagnosis rate: The number of new cancer cases diagnosed at a distant stage per 100,000 people per year for cancers of the prostate, lung and bronchus, colon, rectum, and cervix uteri. Late stage is defined as regional and distant stage diagnoses, per 100,000 women per year for cancer of the female breast. Late stage is defined as the stages which screening tends to reduce and differs by cancer site (i.e. when screening is initiated the proportion diagnosed with late state disease goes down).

Stage Distribution: The proportion of new cancer cases among all cases diagnosed in a specific year. The full distribution of all stages (local, regional, distant and unstaged/unknown) is shown.

Data Source

SEER Program, National Cancer Institute, 2004–2019.

Healthy People 2030 Target

There are no Healthy People Target for breast, colon, rectum, cervix uteri, lung and bronchus or prostate cancer by stage at diagnosis.

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trends and Most Recent Estimates

Late Stage Female Breast Cancer Rates

Rates of new cases of late stage female breast cancer, delay-adjusted incidence, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Delay Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Late Stage Breast Cancer	43.2	42.7 - 43.6

Distant Stage Cancer Rates

Rates of new cancers of distant stage diseases, delay-adjusted incidence, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Delay Rate per 100,000	95% Confidence Interval
	Colon	5.9	5.7 - 6.0
	Rectum	1.7	1.6 - 1.7
	Cervix Uteri	1.1	1.0 - 1.1
	Lung and Bronchus	22.8	22.5 - 23.0
	Prostate	10.9	10.7 - 11.2

Stage Distribution

Female Breast Cancer

Distribution of female breast cancer diagnoses by stage at diagnosis, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Percent of diagnoses	95% Confidence Interval
	Localized	65.2	57.0 - 73.3
	Regional/Distant	32.1	24.2 - 40.1
	Unstaged/Unknown	3.0	0.1 - 5.9

Lung Cancer

Distribution of lung cancer diagnoses by stage at diagnosis, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Percent of diagnoses	95% Confidence Interval
	Localized	27.7	15.2 - 40.2
	Regional	20.3	9.1 - 31.6
	Distant	45.5	31.6 - 59.4
	Unstaged/Unknown	7.1	0.0 - 14.3

Colon Cancer

Distribution of colon cancer diagnoses by stage at diagnosis, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Percent of diagnoses	95% Confidence Interval
	Localized	34.8	16.4 - 53.2
	Regional	36.2	17.6 - 54.7
	Distant	22.8	6.6 - 39.0
	Unstaged/Unknown	7.2	0.0 - 17.1

Rectum Cancer

Distribution of rectum cancer diagnoses by stage at diagnosis, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Percent of diagnoses	95% Confidence Interval
	Localized	37.2	5.5 - 68.9
	Regional	35.6	4.2 - 67.0
	Distant	18.9	0.0 - 44.5
	Unstaged/Unknown	9.8	0.0 - 29.4

Cervix Uteri Cancer

Distribution of cervix uteri cancer diagnoses by stage at diagnosis, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Percent of diagnoses	95% Confidence Interval
	Localized	43.6	8.8 - 78.3
	Regional	37.4	3.5 - 71.3
	Distant	14.0	0.0 - 38.4
	Unstaged/Unknown	7.2	0.0 - 25.4

Prostate Cancer

Distribution of prostate cancer diagnoses by stage at diagnosis, 2004-2019
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Overview Graph	Detailed Trend Graphs	Percent of diagnoses	95% Confidence Interval
	Localized	67.5	59.0 - 76.0
	Regional	13.3	7.1 - 19.4
	Distant	8.7	3.6 - 13.9
	Unstaged/Unknown	11.0	5.4 - 16.7

Additional Information on Stage at Diagnosis

General Public Resources

Cancer Staging. National Cancer Institute.
Metastatic Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
Tumor Grade. National Cancer Institute.
Tumor Markers. National Cancer Institute.
Understanding Laboratory Tests. National Cancer Institute.
Staging. American Cancer Society.

Public Health Resources

Resources for Health Professionals. National Cancer Institute.
SEER Program Coding and Staging Manual 2018. National Cancer Institute.

Scientific reports

Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. National Cancer Institute.

Statistics

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Breast Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cervix Uteri Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Colon and Rectum Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Lung and Bronchus Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Prostate Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
SEER Cancer Statistics Review. National Cancer Institute.

Year Range

2004-2019

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2013-2017

Recent Summary Trend

Falling

Desired Direction

Falling

Summary Tables

Diagnosis

Stage at Diagnosis