Descriptive epidemiological data are essential for understanding the prevalence of a disease, its trends over time, and its geographic distribution. All incidence and survival data from the Francim network were analyzed in collaboration with the Department of Biostatistics at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, the Inserm Center for Epidemiology of Medical Causes of Death, and the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance. In 2005, 37,413 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in France. This cancer ranked third among all cancers. Its incidence has remained stable since 1980, but there has been a gradual shift from cancers of the left colon to those of the right colon. Individuals at moderate risk for colorectal cancer are those of both sexes over the age of 50. The age-standardized five-year relative survival rate is 56% for men and 58% for women, with the most recently diagnosed cases having a better prognosis. There is virtually no excess risk five years after diagnosis. Excess mortality occurs in the first year following diagnosis and decreases sharply thereafter. (R.A.)