Mesothelioma statistics - Key Facts

• Mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that cover many of our internal body organs. There are two main types - pleural mesothelioma in the chest and peritoneal mesothelioma in the abdomen.

section updated 22/02/12

• Mesothelioma accounts for less than 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the UK.
• In the UK in 2008, around 2,400 people were diagnosed with mesothelioma, that's more than 6 every day.
• Mesothelioma is around five times more common in men than in women.In 2008 there were almost 2,000 cases in men and over 400 in women.
• Around 9 out of 10 mesothelioma cases occur in people aged 60 and over.
• Mesothelioma incidence rates have increased almost four-fold since the early 1980s.
• The incidence of mesothelioma is expected to peak around 2020 and to decline rapidly thereafter.

section updated 22/02/12

• Overall, mesothelioma has a poor prognosis. By the time someone has symptoms and goes to their doctor, the disease is very often advanced.
• One-year survival rates for mesothelioma have increased by around 30% since the late 1980s, with around 34% of men and 40% of women now surviving the disease for at least a year.

section updated 30/11/11

• Around 2,300 people died from mesothelioma in the UK in 2009, that's more than 6 people every day.
• More than 80% of mesothelioma deaths occur in men.
• Mesothelioma death rates in the UK have increased by more than a sixth in women in the last five years, but have remained fairly stable in men.

section updated 22/02/12

• Most cases of mesothelioma are caused by past occupational exposure to asbestos.
• Asbestos is an insulating material that was widely used in many industries in the UK from the 1950s up until the mid-1980s, including construction and shipbuilding and where asbestos lagging was fitted or asbestos board was sawn.
• The use of blue and brown asbestos was banned in the UK in 1985. A complete ban on the use of asbestos products was introduced when white asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999. But workers in some occupations may still come in to contact with asbestos-containing materials installed before these dates and regulations apply.
• Mesothelioma symptoms may not appear for more than fifty years after exposure to asbestos.

section updated 30/11/11

*age-standardised to the European population