Children's cancers mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from cancer in children, 2015-2017, UK.

Percentage of all deaths

Percentage children contribute to total cancer deaths, 2015-2017, UK

Trend over time

Change in children's cancers mortality rates since the early 1970s, UK

Proportion of UK deaths

Cancer causes only 1 in 100 of all deaths in children

Cancer in children accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths in the UK (2015-2017).[1-3]

43% of children's cancer deaths in the UK are in girls, and 57% are in boys.

Children's cancer mortality rates (World age-standardised (AS) rates) Open a glossary itemfor girls and boys 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 Deaths per Year, Crude and World Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per Million Population, Ages 0-14, UK, 2015-2017

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Girls Deaths 85 8 6 3 102
Crude Rate 17.5 18.3 23.5 18.7 17.9
AS Rate 17.4 18.5 23.5 18.9 17.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 15.3 10.9 12.6 7.2 15.8
AS Rate - 95% UCL 19.6 26.0 34.4 30.6 19.8
Boys Deaths 113 10 6 6 134
Crude Rate 22.2 22.0 22.4 30.3 22.4
AS Rate 22.1 21.3 23.0 31.1 22.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 19.8 13.5 12.4 16.3 20.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 24.5 29.0 33.7 45.9 24.6
Children Deaths 197 17 12 9 236
Crude Rate 19.9 20.2 22.9 24.6 20.2
AS Rate 19.8 19.9 23.3 25.2 20.2
AS Rate - 95% LCL 18.2 14.5 15.7 15.7 18.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 21.4 25.3 30.9 34.6 21.6

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

See also

Children's cancers survival statistics

Children's cancers incidence statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, November 2018. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths.
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, October 2018. 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, March 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2015-2017, 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 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, 2015-2017

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 2018. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths.
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, October 2018. 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, March 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Childhood Cancer Mortality in the UK and Internationally, 2005-2010 
  5. Stiller C, Childhood Cancer in Britain: Incidence, survival and mortality.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2015-2017, 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:

World age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates for cancers in children (boys and girls combined) decreased by 70% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2014-2016.[1-3] The decrease was of a similar size in boys and girls.

For cancers in boys, AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 70% between 1971-1973 and 2014-2016. For cancers in girls, AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 70% between 1971-1973 and 2014-2016.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2004-2006 and 2014-2016), AS mortality rates for cancers in children (boys and girls combined) decreased by 27%.[1-3] In boys AS mortality rates decreased by 26%, and in girls rates decreased by 29%.

Children's Cancers (C00-C97, D32-D33, D35.2-D35.4, D42-D43, D44.3-D44.5), World Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per Million Population, UK, Ages 0-14, 1971-2016

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

  1. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, October 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths.
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, October 2017. 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, December 2017. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1971-2016, 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 most common cause of death in children and accounts for around a fifth of all deaths in boys and girls aged 1-14 (19% and 20%, respectively).[1-3] Despite this, deaths from cancer are still relatively rare in children aged 0-14 years, with less than one per cent of the total cancer deaths occurring in this age group.[4-6]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Cancer mortality statistics for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Office for National Statistics. Mortality Statistics: Deaths registered in England and Wales (Series DR).
  2. General Register Office for Scotland. Vital Events Reference Tables.
  3. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Registrar General Annual Reports.
  4. Data were provided by the Office for National Statistics on request, March 2013. Similar data can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475.
  5. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2012. Similar data can be found here: http://gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/general/ref-tables/index.html.
  6. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2013. Similar data can be found here:http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp22.htm.

About this data

See source for ICD codes and other data specifics.

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.