Thyroid cancer is the 20th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 1% of all new cancer cases (2015).[1-4]
In males in the UK, thyroid cancer is the 20th most common cancer (less than 1% of all new male cancer cases). In females in the UK it is the 17th most common cancer (1% of all new female cancer cases).
27% of thyroid cancer cases in the UK are in males, and 73% are in females.
Thyroid cancer incidence rates ( ) for persons are significantly lower than the UK average in Northern Ireland and Wales, and similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.
Thyroid Cancer (C73), Number of New Cases, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2015
England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | UK | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Cases | 821 | 78 | 37 | 23 | 959 |
Crude Rate | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.0 | |
AS Rate | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.0 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 3.4 | |
Female | Cases | 2,234 | 203 | 78 | 54 | 2,569 |
Crude Rate | 8.0 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 7.8 | |
AS Rate | 8.3 | 7.3 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 8.0 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 7.9 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 7.7 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 8.6 | 8.3 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 8.3 | |
Persons | Cases | 3,055 | 281 | 115 | 77 | 3,528 |
Crude Rate | 5.6 | 5.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.4 | |
AS Rate | 5.8 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 5.6 | |
AS Rate - 95% LCI | 5.6 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 5.4 | |
AS Rate - 95% UCI | 6.0 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 5.8 |


For thyroid cancer, there are few established risk factors therefore differences between countries largely reflect differences in diagnosis and data recording.
References
- Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, July 2017. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases.
- Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, August 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
- Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, October 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
- Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, July 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
About this data
Data is for UK, 2015, ICD-10 C73.