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Trends in UK cancer incidence statistics

This page presents trends in cancer incidence rates.

In the 30-year period 1975 to 2004, the overall age-standardised incidence rate for cancer has increased in Great Britain, by 25%, with an 15% increase in men and a 32% increase in women. (Figure 6.1)

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UK cancer incidence trends in the ten-year period 1995 to 2004 have remained fairly constant. There has been a slight decrease in men (by 1%) and a slight increase in women (by 3%) (Figure 6.2).1-4 The highest increases have been in people aged under 65 years.

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Figure 6.3 shows the trend in incidence and mortality rates for all cancers, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, in Great Britain.

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Incidence trends for individual cancers

The trends for individual cancers vary enormously (Figure 6.4). Large decreases (more than 25%) in incidence rates occurred for male and female bladder 1-4(see note below) and stomach cancer.

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Large increases in cancer incidence rates over the last ten years have been seen for malignant melanoma (43%), uterus (womb) cancer (21%), oral cancer (23%) and kidney cancer (14%).

For men, the most rapidly increasing cancer incidence rates were for malignant melanoma (56%), prostate cancer (39%), mesothelioma (31%) and liver cancer (30%).

The increase in prostate cancer incidence has been fuelled by the increasing use of PSA testing since the early 1990s, that detects invasive cancers at an earlier stage as well as latent tumours that might otherwise have remained asymptomatic and undiagnosed during the man’s lifetime.1

For women the most rapidly increasing rates were for mesothelioma (38%), liver cancer (38%), malignant melanoma (35%) and uterus cancer (33%).

Please note: Over the period 1996-1999 there was a marked reduction in the numbers of registrations of invasive bladder cancer. This reduction is likely to be a reflection of the change in coding practice recommended by the European Network of Cancer Registries and subsequently by the United Kingdom Association of Cancer Registries.Some cases classified and coded previously as invasive bladder cancer are now coded as carcinoma in situ of the bladder or neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour of the bladder. This will explain much of the changes over time and between countries

References

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

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