Laryngeal (larynx) cancer statistics - Key Facts

• Around 2,300 people were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in the UK in 2008, that’s more than 6 people every day.
• Around 1,900 men and 400 women were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in the UK in 2008.
• Laryngeal cancer is almost five times more common in men than in women.
• Laryngeal cancer incidence rates in men rose until the late 1980’s then remained stable up until the early 2000’s. Since then, rates have been steadily falling.
• Laryngeal cancer incidence rates in women have been stable over the last 40 years.
• Laryngeal cancer is rarely diagnosed in people aged under 40.
• After 40 years of age the incidence of laryngeal cancer rises steeply with nearly three quarters of cases in people aged 60 and over. Rates in men increase more steeply than rates in women.
• Worldwide it is estimated that there were over 150,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer in 2008.
• In the European Union there were estimated to be more than 28,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer in 2008.

Read more in depth laryngeal cancer incidence statistics

section updated 20/02/12

• Around two-thirds of men with laryngeal cancer survive the disease for five years or more.
• More than half of men diagnosed with laryngeal cancer will survive the disease for ten years or more.

Read more in depth laryngeal cancer survival statistics

section updated 07/11/11

• Laryngeal cancer death rates have fallen by almost a third since the late 1980s.
• In 2009 around 780 people in the UK died from laryngeal cancer.
• More than 8 in 10 laryngeal cancer deaths occur in men. In 2009, around 650 men died from laryngeal cancer, compared with around 130 deaths in women.
• More than 8 in 10 laryngeal cancer deaths occur in people aged 60 and over.
• Worldwide it is estimated that there were around 82,000 deaths from laryngeal cancer in 2008.
• In the European Union there were estimated to be nearly 13,000 deaths in 2008.

Read more in depth laryngeal cancer mortality statistics

section updated 20/02/12

• Around 80% of laryngeal cancers in the UK are caused by smoking, and around 25% are linked to alcohol.
• A diet high in fruit and vegetables may reduce the risk of laryngeal cancer.
• Individuals with a first-degree relative with a head and neck cancer have double the risk of developing laryngeal cancer.

Read more in depth risk factors for laryngeal cancer.

section updated 07/12/11

*survival data is not available for females due to the low number of cases **age-standardised to the European standard population ***not age-standardised