Breast cancer mortality statistics

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Deaths

Deaths from breast cancer, 2016-2018, UK.

Percentage of all deaths

Percentage breast cancer contributes to total cancer deaths, 2016-2018, UK

 

Age

Peak mortality rate for breast cancer, 2016-2018, UK

Trend over time

Change in breast cancer mortality rates since the early 1970s, UK

Breast cancer is the 4th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 7% of all cancer deaths (2018).[1-3]

In females in the UK, breast cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death (15% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death (less than 1% of all male cancer deaths).

99% of breast cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 1% are in males (2018).

Breast cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates) Open a glossary item are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

For breast cancer mortality and incidence rates do not vary between the UK constituent nations.

Breast Cancer (C50), Number of Deaths, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2018

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Deaths 9,562 993 637 320 11,512
Crude Rate 33.8 35.6 40.0 33.5 34.2
AS Rate 33.0 33.9 36.0 35.6 33.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 32.3 31.8 33.2 31.7 32.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 33.7 36.0 38.8 39.5 33.9
Male Deaths 78 8 4 3 93
Crude Rate 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
AS Rate 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.9 0.4
Persons Deaths 9,640 1,001 641 323 11,605
Crude Rate 17.2 18.4 20.4 17.2 17.5
AS Rate 18.2 19.1 19.8 19.8 18.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 17.9 17.9 18.3 17.7 18.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 18.6 20.2 21.4 22.0 18.8

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

Breast cancer (invasive) incidence statistics by sex and UK region

In situ breast cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Breast cancer survival statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for common 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/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2018, C50.

Last reviewed:

Breast cancer mortality is strongly related to age, with the highest mortality rates being in older people. In the UK in 2016-2018, on average each year almost half of deaths (48%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-3] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for breast cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 30-34 and more steeply from around age 70-74. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for females and the 85 to 89 age group for males. Mortality rates are significantly higher in females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups.The gap is widest at age 50 to 54, when the age-specific mortality rate is 334 times higher in females than males.

Breast Cancer (C50), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, UK, 2016-2018

Breast Cancer (C50), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Male Population, UK, 2016-2018

See also

Breast cancer (invasive) incidence statistics by age

In situ breast cancer incidence statistics by age

Breast cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer mortality statistics by age for all cancers

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/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2016-2018, ICD-10 C50.

Last reviewed:

Breast cancer European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 39% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2016-2018.[1-3] The decrease was larger in males than in females.

For females, breast cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 36% between 1971-1973 and 2016-2018. For males, breast cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 43% between 1971-1973 and 2016-2018.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2006-2008 and 2016-2018), breast cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 19%. In females AS mortality rates decreased by 17%, and in males rates remained stable.

Breast Cancer (C50), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 1971-2018

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.

Breast cancer mortality rates have decreased overall in most broad adult age groups in females in the UK since the early 1970s, but have increased in some.[1-3] Rates in 25-49s have decreased by 58%, in 50-64s have decreased by 52%, in 65-69s have decreased by 45%, in 70-79s have decreased by 28% and in 80+s have increased by 8%.

Breast Cancer (C50), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, By Age, Females, UK, 1971-2018

Breast cancer mortality rates have remained stable overall in some broad adult age groups in males in the UK since the early 1970s, but have decreased in others.[1-3] Rates in 25-49s have remained stable, in 50-64s have decreased by 57%, in 65-69s have remained stable, in 70-79s have decreased by 51% and in 80+s have remained stable.

Breast Cancer (C50), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, By Age, Males, UK, 1971-2018

See also

Breast cancer (invasive) incidence trends over time

In situ breast cancer incidence trends over time

Breast cancer survival trends over time

Breast cancer risk factors

Breast cancer screening and coverage uptake trends over time

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/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1971-2018, C50.

Last reviewed:

Breast cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 26% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, to 31 deaths per 100,000 females by 2035.[1]

Breast cancer (C50), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1979-2035

Download the data table (xls)

It is projected that 11,876 deaths from breast cancer will occur in the UK in 2035.

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for breast cancer

Projections of mortality for all cancers combined

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 C50

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:

There is evidence for a small association between female breast cancer mortality and deprivation in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are 6% higher for females living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.[1]

Breast Cancer (C50), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, Females, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in breast cancer mortality between females living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011. It has been estimated that there would have been around 350 fewer female breast cancer deaths each year in England during 2007-2011 if all females experienced the same mortality rates as the least deprived.[1]

There is no evidence for an association between breast cancer mortality and deprivation in males in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised mortality rates are similar for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.[1]

Breast Cancer (C50), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, Males, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in breast cancer mortality between males living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011.[1] 

See also

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in breast cancer incidence

Breast cancer survival by socio-economic group

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, 2007-2011, ICD-10 C50

Deprivation gradient statistics were calculated using mortality data for 2007-2011. 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:

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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.