Myeloma incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of myeloma, 2014, UK

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage myeloma is of total cancer cases, 2014, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of myeloma cases, 2012-2014, UK

 

Trend over time

Change in myeloma cancer incidence rates since the early 1990s, UK

Myeloma is the 18th most common cancer in the UK (2014), accounting for around 2% of all new cases. In males, it is the 15th most common cancer (2% of all male cases) whilst it is the 17th in females (1% of all female cases).

In 2014, there were 5,501 new cases of myeloma in the UK: 3,072 (56%) in men and 2,429 (44%) in women, giving a male:female ratio of around 13:10.[1-4] The crude incidence rate Open a glossary item shows that there are 10 new myeloma cases for every 100,000 males in the UK and 7 for every 100,000 females.

The European age-standardised incidence (AS) rates Open a glossary item do not differ significantly between the constituent countries of the UK for either sex.[1-4]

Myeloma (C90), Number of New Cases, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2014

England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland UK
Male Cases 2,598 148 247 79 3,072
Crude Rate 9.7 9.7 9.5 8.8 9.7
AS Rate 11.7 10.6 11.1 11.8 11.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 11.2 8.9 9.7 9.2 11.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 12.1 12.3 12.5 14.4 12.0
Female Cases 2,054 121 190 64 2,429
Crude Rate 7.5 7.7 6.9 6.8 7.4
AS Rate 7.7 7.2 6.8 7.7 7.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 7.3 5.9 5.8 5.8 7.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 8.0 8.5 7.7 9.5 7.9
Persons Cases 4,652 269 437 143 5,501
Crude Rate 8.6 8.7 8.2 7.8 8.5
AS Rate 9.5 8.6 8.6 9.6 9.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 9.2 7.6 7.8 8.0 9.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 9.7 9.7 9.4 11.1 9.6

95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits Open a glossary item around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

For myeloma, like most cancer types, differences between countries largely reflect risk factor prevalence in years past.

See also

Myeloma mortality statistics by sex and UK region

Cancer incidence statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, June 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases.
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, May 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/.
  3. Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, June 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for: UK, 2014, ICD-10 C90

Last reviewed:

Myeloma incidence is strongly related to age, with the highest incidence rates being in older males and females. In the UK in 2012-2014, on average each year almost half (45%) cases were diagnosed in people aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Incidence rates rise sharply from around age 55-59, peak in the 85-89 age group, and then subsequently drop. Incidence rates are higher for males than females in those aged 35-39 and 45-49 and over (the difference is not significant at younger ages or at age 40-44), and this gap is widest at age 35-39 when the male: female ratio of age-specific incidence rate (to account for the different proportions of males to females in each age group) is around 21:10.[1-4]

Myeloma (C90), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates, UK, 2012-2014

For myeloma, like most cancer types, incidence increases with age. This largely reflects cell DNA damage accumulating over time. Damage can result from biological processes or from exposure to risk factors. A drop or plateau in incidence in the oldest age groups often indicates reduced diagnostic activity perhaps due to general ill health.

See also

Myeloma mortality statistics by age

Myeloma survival statistics by age

Cancer survival statistics by age for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, June 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases.
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, May 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/.
  3. Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, June 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2012-2014, ICD-10 C90

Last reviewed:

Myeloma incidence rates have increased by 29% in the UK since the early 1990s.[1-4] This includes a larger overall increase for males than for females. Myeloma incidence rates increased by 30% (persons) in Great Britain between 1979-1981 and 1991-1993.[1-3]

For males, European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item rates increased by 31% between 1993-1995 and 2012-2014. For females, rates increased by 21% in this period.[1-4]

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2003-2005 and 2012-2014), myeloma AS incidence rates have increased by 15% for males and females combined, with similar increases in males (15%) and females (13%) separately.[1-4]

Myeloma (C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, UK, 1993-2014​​

Myeloma rates have increased overall for all of the broad age groups in the UK since the early 1990s.[1-4] The largest increase has been in people aged 25-49, with European AS incidence rates increasing by 58% between 1993-1995 and 2012-2014.[1-4]

Myeloma (C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, by Age, UK, 1993-2014​

For myeloma, like most cancer types, incidence trends largely reflect changing prevalence of risk factors and improvements in diagnosis and data recording. Recent incidence trends are influenced by risk factor prevalence in years past, and trends by age group reflect risk factor exposure in birth cohorts.

See also

Myeloma mortality trends over time

Myeloma survival trends over time

Myeloma risk factors

Cancer incidence statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, June 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, May 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/ 
  3. Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, June 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2016. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2014, ICD-10 C90

Last reviewed:

Myeloma incidence rates are projected to rise by 11% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, to 12 cases per 100,000 people by 2035.[1] This includes a larger increase for males than for females.

For males, myeloma European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates in the UK are projected to rise by 13% between 2014 and 2035, to 16 cases per 100,000 by 2035.[1] For females, rates are projected to rise by 7% between 2014 and 2035, to 10 cases per 100,000 by 2035.[1]

Myeloma (C90), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, by Sex, UK, 1979-2035

Download the data table (xls) or email Stats.Team@cancer.org.uk for powerpoint
 

It is projected that 8,888 cases of myeloma (5,229 in males, 3,659 in females) will be diagnosed in the UK in 2035.

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Incidence trends over time for myeloma

Projections of incidence for all cancers combined

Myeloma risk

Download the projections data table

References

  1. Smittenaar CR, Petersen KA, Stewart K, Moitt N. Cancer Incidence and Mortality Projections in the UK Until 2035. Brit J Cancer 2016.

About this data

Data is for: UK, 1979-2014 (observed), 2015-2035 (projected), ICD-10 C90

Projections are based on observed incidence and mortality rates and therefore implicitly include changes in cancer risk factors, diagnosis and treatment. It is not possible to assess the statistical significance of changes between 2014 (observed) and 2035 (projected) figures. Confidence intervals are not calculated for the projected figures. Projections are by their nature uncertain because unexpected events in future could change the trend. It is not sensible to calculate a boundary of uncertainty around these already uncertain point estimates. Changes are described as 'increase' or 'decrease' if there is any difference between the point estimates.

More on projections methodology

Last reviewed:

The lifetime risk of developing myeloma is around 1 in 115 for men and around 1 in 155 for women, in 2012 in the UK.[1]

The lifetime risk for myeloma has been calculated on the assumption that the possibility of having more than one diagnosis of myeloma over the course of a lifetime is very low (‘Current Probability’ method).[2]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Lifetime risk for all cancers combined and cancers compared

Myeloma incidence statistics

How risk is calculated

References

  1. Lifetime risk estimates calculated by the Statistical Information Team at Cancer Research UK. Based on data provided by the Office of National Statistics, ISD Scotland, the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit and the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, on request, December 2013 to July 2014.
  2. Esteve J, Benhamou E and Raymond L. Descriptive epidemiology. IARC Scientific Publications No.128, Lyon, International Agency for Research on Cancer, pp 67-68 1994.
Last reviewed:

There is no evidence for an association between myeloma incidence and deprivation for either males or females in England.[1] England-wide data for 2006-2010 show European age-standardised  incidence rates are similar for both males and females living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.[1]

Myeloma (C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2006-2010

The estimated deprivation gradient in myeloma incidence between people living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 1996-2010.[1]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Deprivation gradient for cancer incidence

Deprivation gradient in myeloma mortality

Socio-economic variation in cancer incidence for Scotland

Socio-economic variation in cancer incidence for Wales

Socio-economic variation in cancer incidence for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Cancer Research UK and National Cancer Intelligence Network. Cancer by deprivation in England: Incidence, 1996-2010, Mortality, 1997-2011. London: NCIN; 2014.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2006-2010, ICD-10 C90

Deprivation gradient statistics were calculated using incidence data for 2006-2010. The deprivation quintiles were calculated using the Income domain scores from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the following years: 2004, 2007 and 2010. Full details on the data and methodology can be found in the Cancer by Deprivation in England NCIN report.

Last reviewed:

Age-standardised Open a glossary item rates for White males with myeloma (ICD-10 C88-C90) range from 6.1 to 6.5 per 100,000. Rates for Asian males are similar, ranging from 3.6 to 6.4 per 100,000, whereas the rates for Black males are significantly higher, ranging from 10.9 to 18.2 per 100,000. For females there is a similar pattern - the age-standardised rates for White females range from 3.9 to 4.2 per 100,000. Rates for Asian females are similar, ranging from 2.3 to 4.4 per 100,000, whereas the rates for Black females are significantly higher, ranging from 6.6 to 11.5 per 100,000.[1]

Ranges are given because of the analysis methodology used to account for missing and unknown data. For myeloma, 17,357 cases were identified; 18% had no known ethnicity.

A similar ethnic pattern has been observed in the UK for almost 40 years, with myeloma occurring around twice as frequently in African Americans as Caucasians.[2] It appears that, in comparison with white people, black people have younger myeloma onset,[3] and a higher incidence of MGUS (though no difference in progression risk).[4,5] However, the reasons underpinning these ethnic differences have yet to be explained, and are currently the subject of much research.[4,6]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Cancer incidence statistics by ethnicity

References

  1. National Cancer Intelligence Network and Cancer Research UK. Cancer Incidence and Survival by Major Ethnic Group, England, 2002-2006. 2009.
  2. Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2008 (based on November 2010 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER website 2011). Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute, 2011.
  3. Waxman AJ, Mink PJ, Devesa SS, et al. Racial disparities in incidence and outcome in multiple myeloma: a population-based study. Blood 2010;116(25):5501-6.
  4. Greenberg AJ, Vachon CM, Rajkumar SV. Disparities in the prevalence, pathogenesis and progression of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and multiple myeloma between blacks and whites. Leukemia 2011.
  5. Landgren O, Graubard BI, Katzmann JA, et al. Racial disparities in the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies: a population-based study of 12 482 persons from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. Leukemia. 2014 Jan 20.
  6. Landgren O, Weiss BM. Patterns of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and multiple myeloma in various ethnic/racial groups: support for genetic factors in pathogenesis. Leukemia 2009;23(10):1691-7.
Last reviewed:

In the UK around 12,500 people were still alive at the end of 2006, up to ten years after being diagnosed with myeloma.[1]

Myeloma (C88 and C90), One-, Five- and Ten-Year Prevalence, UK, 31st December 2006

1 Year Prevalence 5 Year Prevalence 10 Year Prevalence
Male 1,595 5,247 6,921
Female 1,294 4,175 5,544
Persons 2,889 9,422 12,465

Worldwide, it is estimated that there were more than 210,000 men and women still alive in 2008, up to five years after their diagnosis.[2]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Cancer incidence statistics for common cancers in the UK

What is prevalence?

References

  1. National Cancer Intelligence Network. One, Five and Ten Year Cancer Prevalence by Cancer Network, UK, 2006. London: NCIN, 2010.
  2. Ferlay J, Steliarova-Foucher E, Lortet-Tieulent J, et al.Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: Estimates for 40 countries in 2012. European Journal of Cancer (2013) 49, 1374-1403.
Last reviewed:

Around 39,000 new cases of myeloma (C88 and C90) were diagnosed in Europe in 2012 (1% of total cancer cases). In Europe (2012), the highest World age-standardised Open a glossary item incidence rates for myeloma are in Norway for both men and women; the lowest rates are in Albania for men and Bosnia Herzegovina for women. UK myeloma incidence rates are estimated to be the ninth highest in males in Europe, and eighth highest in females.[1] These data are broadly in line with Europe-specific data available elsewhere.[2]

More than 114,000 new cases of myeloma (C88 and C90) were diagnosed worldwide in 2012 (0.8% of total cancer cases). Myeloma incidence rates are highest in Australia/New Zealand and lowest in Western Africa, but this partly reflects varying data quality worldwide.[1]

Variation between countries may reflect prevalence of risk factors, use of screening, and diagnostic methods.

See also

Myeloma mortality statistics in Europe and worldwide

Worldwide cancer incidence statistics

References

  1. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, et al. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2013. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr, accessed December 2013.
  2. Ferlay J, Steliarova-Foucher E, Lortet-Tieulent J, et al.Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: Estimates for 40 countries in 2012. European Journal of Cancer (2013) 49, 1374-1403.

About this data

Data is for: Europe and worldwide, 2012, ICD-10 C88 and C90

Last reviewed:

Cancer stats explained

See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

Cancer stats explained

Citation

You are welcome to reuse this Cancer Research UK content for your own work.
Credit us as authors by referencing Cancer Research UK as the primary source. Suggested styles are:

Web content: Cancer Research UK, full URL of the page, Accessed [month] [year].
Publications: Cancer Research UK ([year of publication]), Name of publication, Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when reused unaltered): Credit: Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when recreated with differences): Based on a graphic created by Cancer Research UK.

When Cancer Research UK material is used for commercial reasons, we encourage a donation to our life-saving research.
Send a cheque payable to Cancer Research UK to: Cancer Research UK, Angel Building, 407 St John Street, London, EC1V 4AD or

Donate online

Rate this page:

Currently rated: 2.7 out of 5 based on 12 votes
Thank you!
We've recently made some changes to the site, tell us what you think

Share this page