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). 

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

Where this information comes from

In the UK, no statistics are available for the long term survival of people with large bowel or rectal NETs. This is because researchers haven’t collected this information yet. The information we have here is the 1 year survival for large bowel and rectal NETs in England. This might not be the same for the whole of the UK. This information is from people diagnosed between 2013-2015.

Overall survival for large bowel and rectal NETs

Around 88 out of 100 people (around 88%) survive for 1 year or more.

About these statistics

The term 1 year survival does not mean that you will only live for 1 year. They relate to the number of people who are still alive 1 year after their diagnosis of cancer.

Some people live much longer than 1 year.