Children's cancers incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of children's cancer each year, 2016-2018 average, UK

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage children's cancer is of total cancer cases, 2016-2018, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of children's cancer cases, 2016-2018, UK

 

Trend over time

Change in children's cancers incidence rates since the early 1990s, UK

 

Cancer in children accounts for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK (2016-2018).[1-4]

46% of children's cancer cases in the UK are in girls, and 54% are in boys.

Children's cancer incidence rates (World age-standardised (AS) rate Open a glossary item) for boys and girls combined are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and World Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per Million Population, Ages 0-14, UK, 2016-2018

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Girls Cases 722 67 29 27 845
Crude Rate 147.4 158.3 114.2 150.4 146.8
AS Rate 151.1 163.6 119.0 154.8 150.7
AS Rate - 95% LCI 144.7 140.9 94.1 121.1 144.8
AS Rate - 95% UCI 157.5 186.2 143.8 188.6 156.6
Boys Cases 840 75 46 33 993
Crude Rate 163.2 168.9 170.6 172.9 164.3
AS Rate 167.5 171.3 177.1 176.7 168.5
AS Rate - 95% LCI 161.0 148.9 147.5 141.7 162.5
AS Rate - 95% UCI 174.1 193.8 206.6 211.7 174.6
Children Cases 1,561 141 75 60 1,838
Crude Rate 155.5 163.7 143.1 162.0 155.8
AS Rate 159.5 167.5 148.7 166.0 159.8
AS Rate - 95% LCI 155.0 151.6 129.3 141.7 155.6
AS Rate - 95% UCI 164.1 183.5 168.1 190.4 164.1

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

References

  1. Data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (part of Public Health England), on request through the Office for Data Release, July 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, April 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2016-2018, ICD-10 C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.

All children's cancers includes all malignant tumours (ICD-10 codes: C00-C97), and all non-malignant brain, other central nervous system and intracranial tumours (ICD-10 codes: D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43 and D44.3-D44.5).

Last reviewed:

The highest incidence rates for all children's cancers combined are in the under-fives for both sexes, with almost half (45%) of all cases in children being diagnosed in this age group (UK, 2016-2018).[1-4] This pattern varies greatly by cancer type. [5]

Childhood cancer usually has no known cause. For most cancer types incidence increases with age, which largely reflects cell DNA damage accumulating over time. Damage can result from biological processes or from exposure to risk factors.

See also

Want more detailed cancer incidence and survival statistics across the UK? Explore our Children and Young People's Cancers Data Hub

Cancer incidence by age statistics for adults' cancers

Cancer incidence statistics for young people's cancers

Cancer incidence and survival statistics by cancer type for children and young people

References

  1. Data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (part of Public Health England), on request through the Office for Data Release, July 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, April 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  5. Public Health England. Children, teenagers and young adults UK cancer statistics report 2021. Available from http://ncin.org.uk/cancer_type_and_topic_specific_work/cancer_type_specific_work/cancer_in_children_teenagers_and_young_adults/, accessed March 2021.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2016-2018, ICD-10 C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.

Last reviewed:

World age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for cancers in children (girls and boys combined) increased by 12% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in girls and boys.

For cancers in girls, AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 15% between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018. For cancers in boys, AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 10% between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2006-2008 and 2016-2018), AS incidence rates for cancers in children (girls and boys combined) remained stable. In girls AS incidence rates remained stable, and in boys rates remained stable.[1-4]

Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), World Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Ages 0-14, UK, 1993 to 2018

All children’s cancers includes all malignant tumours (ICD-10 codes: C00-C97) and all non-malignant brain, other central nervous system and intracranial tumours (ICD-10 codes: D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43 and D44.3-D44.5).

These trends include non-malignant brain, other central nervous system and intracranial tumours because they account for a relatively high proportion of cases in this age group. However trends for these tumours are unreliable pre-2000s, and largely reflect improved data collection rather than true increased incidence. Percentage increases since the late 1970s and early 1990s are very slightly smaller if these tumours are excluded.

References

  1. Data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (part of Public Health England), on request through the Office for Data Release, July 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancerregistrationstatisticsengland/previousReleases
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, April 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2018, ICD-10 C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.

All young people's cancers for England, Wales and Scotland includes all malignant tumours (ICD-10 codes: C00-C97), and all non-malignant brain, other central nervous system and intracranial tumours (ICD-10 codes: D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43 and D44.3-D44.5

Last reviewed:

Children’s cancers are classified into 12 broad diagnostic groups (each of which can be further subdivided) according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, Third Edition (ICCC-3).[1] There are UK statistics for 88 distinct diagnostic subgroups of children’s cancers.[2]

The most common groups of children’s cancers in the UK are leukaemias, myeloproliferative diseases, and myelodysplastic diseases (31% of cases), CNS and miscellaneous intracranial and intraspinal neoplasms (25% of cases), and lymphomas and reticuloendothelial neoplasms (10% of cases) (1997-2016).[2]

See also

See our new Children and Young People's Cancers Incidence and Survival Interactive Dashboard for data broken down by diagnostic group, UK nation, sex and age group

Cancer incidence statistics for common cancers in the UK

Cancer incidence and survival statistics by cancer type for children and young people

References

  1. Steliarova-Foucher E, Stiller C, et al. International Classification of Childhood Cancer, third edition. Cancer 2005;103:1457-67.
  2. Public Health England. Children, teenagers and young adults UK cancer statistics report 2021. Available from http://ncin.org.uk/cancer_type_and_topic_specific_work/cancer_type_specific_work/cancer_in_children_teenagers_and_young_adults/, accessed March 2021.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1997-2016, International Classification of Childhood Cancer, Third Edition (ICCC-3)

Last reviewed:

Around 25,500 people who had been diagnosed with cancer in childhood in the UK between 1997 and 2016, were still alive at the end of 2018.[1]

See also

Cancer incidence statistics for all cancers in the UK

What is prevalence?

References

  1. Public Health England. Children, teenagers and young adults UK cancer statistics report 2021. Available from http://ncin.org.uk/cancer_type_and_topic_specific_work/cancer_type_specific_work/cancer_in_children_teenagers_and_young_adults/, accessed March 2021.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1997-2016, International Classification of Childhood Cancer, Third Edition (ICCC-3)

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, 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ or

Donate online

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.