Cancer mortality by age

The distribution of deaths from cancer, by age and sex, is shown in Figure 3.1.1-3 The death rates from cancer rise with increasing age, and more than three-quarters (77%) of cancer deaths occur in those aged 65 and over.

Figure 3.1: All Cancers (C00-97) Average Number of Deaths Per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates, UK, 2008-2010

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Deaths from cancer of unknown primary (CUP, also known as malignancy of unknown origin or cancer registered without specification of primary site) accounted for more than 10,000 deaths in 2010 in the UK.

section reviewed 15/05/12
section updated 15/05/12

Analysis we published in November 2011 showed that cancer caused 40% of all deaths in all people aged between 25 and 74 in the UK during 2007-2009, but was responsible for fewer than a quarter (22%) of all deaths in the over 75s.4-7

Figures 3.2 and 3.3 show the differences between the top four causes of death by age group and sex. Cancer was the leading cause of death in all age groups except 15-24 year olds.

For males, cancer caused 17% of all deaths in the 25-49 year old adults, compared with 40% of 50-74 year olds and 26% of those aged 75 years and older (Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2: The 4 Most Common Causes of Death in Males, Average Percentages and Numbers of Deaths, by Age, UK, 2007-2009

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Digestive=Digestive system diseases
The percentages do not add up to 100% in some age groups due to rounding. Deaths are presented for 1-14 years only because of the large numbers of deaths that occur in infants (for example, during childbirth or related to immaturity conditions or congenital anomalies). In 2007-09 there was an average of 2,101 deaths per year in males under one-years old, 17 (0.3%) of which were due to invasive cancers (C00-C97).

For females, cancer was responsible for greater percentages in both the 25-49 year olds (39% of all deaths were due to cancer) and in those aged 50-74 (47%), but a lower percentage in the elderly, with 18% of deaths in females aged 75 and over due to cancer (Figure 3.3).

Figure 3.3: The 4 Most Common Causes of Death in Females, Average Percentages and Numbers of Deaths, by Age, UK, 2007-2009

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Respiratory=Respiratory diseases  Nervous sys=Nervous system diseases  Digestive sys=Digestive system diseases
The percentages do not add up to 100% in some age groups due to rounding. Deaths are presented for 1-14 years only because of the large numbers of deaths that occur in infants (for example, during childbirth or related to immaturity conditions or congenital anomalies). In 2007-09 there was an average of 1,620 deaths per year in females under one-years old, 17 (0.3%) of which were due to invasive cancers (C00-C97).

section reviewed 15/05/12
section updated 15/05/12

The latest statistics show that cancer mortality rates in 50-59 year olds have dropped from around 310 deaths in every 100,000 in 1971 to around 185 in every 100,000 in 2010 - a drop in rates of around 40 per cent (Figure 3.4).1-3

The mortality drop in people younger than 50 is slightly greater than in the 50-59 age group (over 50%) however, this age group accounts for less than five per cent of total cancer deaths. In people aged 60-69 the decline in mortality rates has not been so pronounced at around 30%. Although there has been a decrease in mortality rates of almost 9 per cent in people aged 70-79, this includes an increase in mortality rates for females aged 70-79 of 4% and a decrease in males of around 25% (data not shown). In people aged 80 and over there has been an increase in mortality rates of around 27 per cent from around 1,500 per 100,000 people in 1971 to around 1,950 in 2010.  

Figure 3.4: All Cancers (C00-C97), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, UK, 1971-2010

section reviewed 15/05/12
section updated 15/05/12