Non-Hodgkin lymphoma - UK mortality statistics

In 2008 there were 4,438 deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the UK and, reflecting the incidence of the disease, the numbers of deaths in males and females are roughly equal (M:F ratio is 1.2:1.0), however, the male age-standardised mortality rate is higher ( Table 2.1). 1-3

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Mortality statistics for lymphoma are particularly unreliable because many patients die from infections and these, rather than the underlying disease, may be recorded as the cause of death.

As Figure 2.1 shows, the majority of deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma occur in older people, three-quarters in those aged 65 and around a third in the over 80s. 1-3

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Reflecting the increases in incidence, the age-standardised mortality rates for NHL in the UK increased by an average of around 3% per year in males and females up to the mid 1990s. At this point the mortality rates peaked, and for the last few years have been showing signs of a decrease, currently reaching 6.1 per 100,000 males and 3.9 per 100,000 females in 2008 ( Figure 2.2). 1-3

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