Rectal cancer average 5-year survival rate 68%.
If the cancer is diagnosed at an early localized stage the survival rate is 90%.
If it has spread to the lymph nodes it is 74%.
If it has metastases the 5-year survival rate is 17%. However, if the metastases are few and operable, the removal of these tumors can eliminate the cancer, which significantly improves the survival rate.
The following are two references for calculating the survival rate based on patient and tumor characteristics.