Key Statistics for Small Intestine Cancer

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Although the small intestine makes up the largest part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, small intestine cancers are rare in the United States. In fact, they account for fewer than 1 in 10 cancers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and fewer than 1 in 100 cancers overall.

The American Cancer Society estimates for these cancers in the United States for 2024 are:

  • About 12,440 people will be diagnosed with some type of small intestine cancer.
  • About 2,090 people will die of small intestine cancer.

Cancers of the small intestine tend to occur more often in older people. They are most often found in people in their 60s and 70s.

Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.

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References

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 editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2024. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2024.

Chamberlain RS, Krishnaraj M, Shah SA. Chapter 54: Cancer of the Small Bowel. In: DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015.

Doyon L, Greenstein A, Greenstein A. Chapter 76: Cancer of the Small Bowel. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2014.

National Cancer Institute. SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Small Intestine Cancer. Accessed at http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/smint.html on January 4, 2018.

Overman MJ, Kunitake H. Epidemiology, clinical features, and types of small bowel neoplasms. UpToDate. Accessed at www.uptodate.com/contents/epidemiology-clinical-features-and-types-of-small-bowel-neoplasms on January 4, 2018.

Last Revised: January 17, 2024

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