Stomach cancer - UK mortality statistics

In 2008 there were 5,178 deaths from stomach cancer in the UK, making it the seventh most common cause of cancer death and responsible for over 3% of all cancer deaths.

The annual number of deaths in the UK and its constituent countries together with the rates for the year 2008 are shown in Table 2.11-3.

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The distribution of deaths by age for males and females separately are shown in Figure 2.11-3.

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The age-standardised mortality rates between 1971 and 2008 for the UK are shown in Figure 2.21-3.

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Mortality rates in the UK have fallen by around 70% in males and females over the last 30 years as shown in Figure 2.2.

In 1979 the age-standardised rate per 100,000 population (males and females) was 18.6; by 2008 this figure has fallen to 5.5 per 100,000. 1-3

Throughout the world mortality from stomach cancer has been falling but at different times and rates for different countries. The global decrease has occurred without any significant improvements in diagnosis or treatment: possible reasons are discussed in the Risk factors section.

Mortality in England and Wales between 1953 and 1992 is compared to that of Japan, Chile, Portugal, Poland, Australia and the USA White population in Figure 2.3. 4

Earlier data shows that mortality rates for England and Wales and USA Whites began to fall in the 1930s whilst Japanese rates continued to rise until the 1950s and then began their decrease. In Poland and other eastern European countries the peak in rates was reached later in the 1960s and into the 1970s for Portugal.

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The decline of stomach cancer within the EU as a whole between 1955 - 1998 is shown in Figure 2.4 where it is contrasted with the equally striking upward trend for lung cancer which has overtaken stomach cancer to become the leading cause of cancer death. 5

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