UK Bowel Cancer mortality statistics

In 2007 there were 16,007 deaths from colorectal cancer in the UK, comprising 10,043 from colon and 5,964 from rectal cancer. 1-3 ( Table 2.1)

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in the UK after lung cancer.

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Within England, mortality rates are generally higher in the north of the country. 4

The majority of deaths occurred in elderly people, around 80% in people aged 65 and almost two-fifths in the over 80s.

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In contrast to incidence trends, bowel cancer mortality has been falling fairly continuously since the early 1990s. The mortality trend for bowel cancer in the UK is shown in Figure 2.2.

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In the ten years between 1998 and 2007, the bowel cancer age-standardised mortality rates in the UK fell by 16%. This fall in mortality affected all age groups with the largest fall in the 40-54 age groups for men the 55-69 age group in women. ( Figure 2.3).

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Worldwide colorectal cancer kills around 529,000 people each year with 60% of these deaths in the more developed regions. 5 Mortality rates are highest in eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic and Hungary and lowest in African and Asian countries, with the exception of Japan.( Figure 2.4) 5 Within Europe, mortality rates have been declining in most European countries from the 1990s onwards and further falls are expected. 6

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