Cancer mortality and prevalence

Chapter on cancer mortality and prevalence as part of the children, teenagers and young adults  UK cancer statistics report 2021.

Cancer mortality is a measure of the number of people diagnosed with cancer who have died in a given period. Mortality rates are affected by changes in incidence and survival: if more people develop cancer but survival does not change (i.e. treatment remains equally effective), more people die of cancer and therefore mortality increases; if incidence remains constant but treatment becomes more effective and survival improves, fewer people die of cancer and therefore mortality falls.

Cancer in children, teenagers and young adults accounts for 0.3% of all cancer deaths in the UK. In 2018 there were around 260 childhood cancer deaths, accounting for 7% of all childhood deaths (0-14 year olds).

For teenagers and young adults (15-24 year olds) there were nearly 290 cancer deaths, accounting for 11% of all TYA deaths. For comparison, cancer accounts for almost 30% of all deaths in the whole UK population. ¹¹

Of approximately 32,500 children diagnosed with cancer between 1997-2016, around 7,000 had died at any age by the end of 2018, and around 25,500 were still alive. Of approximately 41,500 teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer between 1997- 2016, around 7,700 had died at any age by the end of 2018, and nearly 33,800 were still alive.

Note:

¹¹ Office for National Statistics, NOMIS Official Labour Market Statistics, Mortality statistics 2018, Deaths registered in England and Wales 

    National Records of Scotland, Vital Events Reference Tables 2018, Section 6: Deaths – Causes

    Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Registrar General Annual Report 2018 Cause of Death