• UK Cancer Incidence
  • Common cancers
  • Age at diagnosis
  • Males
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  • Risk
  • Trends
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  • By site and UK country
• UK Cancer Mortality
• England and Wales Cancer Survival
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UK cancer incidence statistics by age

Cancer occurs predominantly in older people, with 64% of cases diagnosed in people aged 65 and over, and more than a third of cases in people aged 75 and over.

Figure 2.1 1-4 shows the numbers of new cancer cases and the rates by age and sex in the UK.

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Less than 1% of all cases occur in children (0-14 years). Around 1,400 cases of cancer were diagnosed in children in 2004, with a slightly higher incidence in boys than girls.

The risk of an individual child in Britain being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 15 is about 1 in 500. The solid tumours of the breast, lung, bowel and prostate, which are so common in older people, are rare in children. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, responsible for a third of all cases. Brain and spinal tumours together account for around a quarter (see childhood cancer section).

1,732 UK teenagers and young adults (15-24 years) were diagnosed with cancer in 2004. The most common cancers diagnosed at these ages include lymphoma, testicular cancer, brain tumours, malignant melanoma, leukaemia and bone and connective tissue tumours.

Around 1 in 10 of all cancer cases are in people aged 25-50 years. The most common cancers diagnosed in this age group include breast, malignant melanoma, colorectal and cancer of the cervix. Women in their 30s, 40s and 50s are at higher risk of developing cancer than men at the same ages, largely due to their excess risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer accounts for almost half (48%) of all cancers diagnosed in UK women aged 40-59 years.

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References

1. Office for National Statistics, Cancer Statistics registrations: Registrations of cancer diagnosed in 2004, England. Series MB1 no.35, National Statistics: London.
2. ISD Online. Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Survival data. Accessed 2007
3. Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Cancer Incidence in Wales 1992-2004. 2007
4. Northern Ireland Cancer Registry. Cancer Incidence and Mortality. Accessed 2007

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