Cancer Registration Statistics, England 2020

Figure 12 shows that the age-standardised cancer mortality rate in 2020 was highest for both males and females living in the most deprived areas. The mortality rate decreased consistently for each deprivation quintile from most deprived to least deprived.

The gap between the least and most deprived quintiles was similar for males and females. The age-standardised cancer mortality rate was 53% higher for males living in the most deprived areas (391 per 100,000 people) compared to the least deprived areas (255 per 100,000 people). For females, the rate was 55% higher for those living in the most deprived areas (282 per 100,000 people) compared to the least deprived areas (182 per 100,000 people). In 2019, the mortality rate was 49% higher for both females and males in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.

Lung cancer had the largest difference in age-standardised mortality rates between those living in the most and least deprived areas. Figure 12 shows that for males and females, the age-standardised cancer mortality rate for lung cancer was almost triple for people living in the most deprived areas when compared with the least deprived areas. For males, the rate was 103 per 100,000 people living in the most deprived areas compared to 37 per 100,000 people living in the least deprived areas. For females, the rate was 78 per 100,000 people living in the most deprived areas compared to 26 per 100,000 people living in the least deprived areas.

Whereas the general trend in mortality rate by deprivation often matches the trend in incidence rate by deprivation, there are cancer sites where a lower incidence rate and a higher mortality rate are observed among people living in the most deprived areas.

Breast cancer and prostate cancer have a mortality rate that is highest for people living in the most deprived areas, while the incidence rate is lowest in this quintile.

The mortality rate for breast cancer for females was 17% higher for females living in the most deprived areas (36 per 100,000 people) when compared to females living in the least deprived areas (31 per 100,000 people).

The mortality rate for prostate cancer was 14% higher for males living in the most deprived areas (48 per 100,000 people) when compared to males living in the least deprived areas (43 per 100,000 people).