Pancreatic cancer
12.8×better odds
Colorectal cancer
Colonoscopy remains the gold-standard colorectal screen. The gap is stark either way: 91.3% survive five years when it is caught early, 16.9% once it has spread far.
Five-year relative survival by stage
| Stage at diagnosis | 5-year survival | Share of cases |
|---|---|---|
| Caught early : Still only where it started. This is what screening looks for. | 91.3% | 34.0% |
| Spread nearby : Reached lymph nodes or tissue next to where it started. | 75.2% | 37.0% |
| Caught late : Reached organs elsewhere in the body. Doctors call this metastatic. | 16.9% | 23.0% |
| Stage unknown : The record did not say how far it had spread. | 49.7% | 6.0% |
| All cases : Everyone diagnosed, early and late together. | 65.4% | n/a |
Source: NCI SEER Cancer Stat Facts, cases diagnosed 2016-2022.
Figures are 5-year relative survival by SEER stage at diagnosis from the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. They describe outcomes by the stage at which a cancer was found; they are not outcomes attributable to whole-body MRI screening, which has not been shown in randomized trials to reduce cancer mortality. What these numbers do and do not show.
5.4×
Better odds of being alive five years later when colorectal cancer is caught before it spreads, compared with after it has reached other organs.
Where cases are caught today
23.0% of colorectal cancer cases have already spread to other organs by the time anyone looks.
Other cancers where stage decides the outcome
5-year relative survival, 2016-2022. NCI SEER Cancer Stat Facts
Find out while it is still small
One scan from $999. 30 to 60 minutes. No radiation, no contrast dye, no referral needed.