Approximately 700,000 individuals in Europe and 800,000–1,000,000 in the United States live with a stoma. Colostomies represent 50–60% of these, and 40–60% are permanent end colostomies. Advances in modern colorectal cancer therapy (biologics, targeted agents, immunotherapy) have significantly increased long-term survival, resulting in a stable and expanding population of permanent colostomy survivors. Quality-of-life impairment persists in 20–30%. More than 95% of stoma-care expenditure remains focused on pouching systems, while continence-focused innovation has stagnated.
This paper incorporates a structured modelling framework, uncertainty analysis, key epidemiologic parameters, and an expanded health-economic section. The refined projection confirms that permanent colostomy survivorship represents a large, predictable, chronically underserved population with clear unmet needs and strong rationale for continence-focused technological development.
Keywords: Permanent Colostomy; Epidemiology; Survivorship; Stoma Care; Colorectal Cancer; Health Economics; Modelling; Unmet Clinical Need; Continence Innovation; Qol; Europe; United States.
Citation: Bencini, C. (2026). The Permanent Colostomy Population in Europe and The United States: Epidemiology, Modelling Framework, Health-Economic Burden, and Strategic Implications for Continence-Focused Innovation. J Sur & Surgic Proce.,4(1):1-3. DOI : https://doi.org/10.47485/3069-8154.1024