Children's cancers mortality statistics

Cancer in children accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths in the UK (2017-2019).[1-4]

44% of cancer deaths in children in the UK are in girls, and 56% are in boys (2017-2019).

Mortality rates for cancer in children (World age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) in the UK are not significantly different between girls and boys (2017-2019).

Mortality rates for cancer in children (World age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

For cancer in children, mortality and incidence rates do not vary between the UK constituent nations.

All Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), Annual Average Number of Deaths, Crude and World Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per Million Persons Population, Age 0-14, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Girls Deaths 93 10 5 3 111
Crude Rate 18.9 24.5 18.1 14.8 19.1
AS Rate 18.8 24.6 17.4 15.0 19.0
AS Rate - 95% LCL 16.6 16.0 8.3 4.6 17.0
AS Rate - 95% UCL 21.0 33.3 26.6 25.4 21.1
Boys Deaths 120 10 7 4 142
Crude Rate 23.1 23.3 27.1 22.8 23.3
AS Rate 22.9 22.1 27.0 23.2 23.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 20.6 14.3 15.7 10.6 20.9
AS Rate - 95% UCL 25.3 29.9 38.3 35.9 25.3
Children Deaths 213 21 12 7 253
Crude Rate 21.1 23.9 22.7 18.9 21.3
AS Rate 20.9 23.3 22.4 19.2 21.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 19.3 17.5 15.1 11.0 19.6
AS Rate - 95% UCL 22.5 29.1 29.7 27.5 22.6
95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

See also

Children's cancers survival statistics

Children's cancers incidence statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, Age 0-14, 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 mortality rates for all children's cancers combined are in the 5-9 age group, with around 4 in 10 (38%) of all cases in children being diagnosed in this age group (UK, 2017-2019).[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

Cancer mortality by age statistics for adult's cancers

Cancer mortality by age statistics for young people's cancers

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.
  5. Stiller, C (Ed.) Childhood cancer in Britain: incidence, survival and mortality. (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007).

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, Age 0-14, ICD-10 C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.

Last reviewed:

World age-standardised age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates for cancers in children (girls and boys combined) decreased by 68% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The decrease was of a similar size in girls and boys.

For cancers in girls, (AS) mortality rates in the UK decreased by 67% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For cancers in boys, AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 70% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), AS mortality rates for cancers in children (girls and boys combined remained stable.[1-4] In girls, AS mortality rates remained stable, and in boys rates remained stable.

Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), World Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per Million Persons Population, UK, Age 0-14, 1971-2019

For most cancer types, mortality trends largely reflect incidence and survival trends. For example, rising mortality may reflect rising incidence and stable survival, while falling mortality may reflect rising incidence and rising survival.

See also

Incidence trends over time in children's cancers

Survival trends over time in children's cancers

Children's cancers risk factors

Cancer mortality for all cancers combined

References M19

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1971-2019, Age 0-14, 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 most common causes of cancer death in children are malignant brain, other central nervous system (CNS) and intracranial tumours, followed by leukaemia.[1-3]

Routinely-collected mortality data are presented by ICD-10 code. However, this coding framework is generally not appropriate for cancer in children because it defines tumours using body site rather than cell type, and the latter is more important for cancer in children. ICD-10 coding is considered reliable for malignant brain and other CNS tumours and leukaemias in children.[4] Finer breakdowns of deaths by cancer type are available but the data are not recent.[5]

Children’s Cancers by Cancer Type, Average Number of Deaths per Year, Age 0-14, UK, 2016-2018

See also

Cancer mortality statistics for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, November 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths.
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, October 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp.
  3. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, June 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Public Health England. Childhood Cancer Mortality in the UK and Internationally, 2005-2010. Available from http://www.ncin.org.uk/view?rid=3027, accessed January 2020.
  5. Stiller C (Ed.) Childhood cancer in Britain: incidence, survival and mortality. Oxford University Press, 2007.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2016-2018, Brain ICD-10 C70-C72;Leukaemia ICD-10 C91-C95; Other cancers ICD-10 C00-C69, C73-C90, C96-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5; All cancers combined C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.

Last reviewed:

Cancer (excluding benign, uncertain and unknown behaviour brain, other CNS and intracranial tumours) is the leading cause of death for boys and girls aged 1-14. Cancer accounted for 23% of all deaths in this age group in 2021).[1-3]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Cancer mortality statistics by age

Cancer incidence by age statistics

Cancer survival by age statistics

References

  1. England and Wales data were from the Office for National Statistics, accessed December 2022: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were from the National Records of Scotland, accessed December 2022: Vital Events Reference Tables. https://www.opendata.nhs.scot/dataset/cancer-mortality
  3. Northern Ireland data were from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, accessed December 2022: Registrar General Annual Report 2021 Cause of Death

About this data

Data is for UK, 2021, at ICD-10 chapter level for ICD-10 A00-R99, V01-Y98 and U00-U85, except for ICD-10 C00-D48 (neoplasms) which is split into C00-C97 (malignant neoplasms) and D00-D48 (in situ and benign neoplasms, and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour).

Last reviewed:

An estimated 17,700 children’s cancer deaths had been avoided in the UK by 2018 because mortality rates have fallen since the 1970s.[1]

Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), Observed Deaths, and Expected Deaths if Mortality Rates Had Not Fallen from Peak, Ages 0-14, UK, 1971-2018

Cancer incidence statistics for children’s cancers in the UK

Cancer survival statistics for children’s cancers in the UK

References

  1. Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, 2021, based on method set out in Siegel R, Ward E, Brawley O, Jemal A., Cancer statistics, 2011: the impact of eliminating socioeconomic and racial disparities on premature cancer deaths. CA Cancer J Clin. 2011 Jul-Aug;61(4):212-36.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1971-2018, ICD-10 C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5.

The number of avoided cancer deaths is estimated by comparing the actual number of cancer deaths observed, with number of cancer deaths expected if mortality rates had not fallen from their observed peak. The number of cancer deaths expected is calculated by applying the cancer mortality rate in the overall peak year, to the total population in each subsequent year. These calculations are made for males and females separately in each five-year age band (e.g. using age-specific mortality rates for the overall peak year), and summed to create the UK total.

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

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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.