Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) incidence statistics

Acute myeloid leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2017-2019.[1-4]

In females in the UK, acute myeloid leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new female cancer cases. In males in the UK, it accounted for less than 1% of all new male cancer cases).

44% of acute myeloid leukaemia cases in the UK are in females, and 56% are in males.

Acute myeloid leukaemia incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rate Open a glossary item) for persons are significantly lower than the UK average in Scotland and are similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

For acute myeloid leukaemia, there are few established risk factors therefore differences between countries largely reflect differences in diagnosis and data recording.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Cases 1,103 101 60 32 1,295
Crude Rate 3.9 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.8
AS Rate 3.9 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 3.7 3.1 2.9 2.8 3.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 4.0 3.9 3.9 4.2 3.9
Male Cases 1,399 114 96 41 1,650
Crude Rate 5.1 4.3 6.2 4.4 5.0
AS Rate 5.7 4.7 6.4 5.5 5.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 5.5 4.2 5.7 4.5 5.5
AS Rate - 95% UCL 5.9 5.2 7.1 6.4 5.8
Persons Cases 2,502 214 156 73 2,945
Crude Rate 4.5 3.9 5.0 3.9 4.4
AS Rate 4.7 4.0 4.8 4.3 4.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 4.6 3.7 4.3 3.8 4.5
AS Rate - 95% UCL 4.8 4.3 5.2 4.9 4.7
95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year around 4 in 10 new cases (41%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Age-specific incidence rates remain constant with slight fluctuation from birth until age 45-49. Afterwards rates rise more steeply for males with a peak at age 85-89 and continue rising more gradually for females. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for females and the 85 to 89 age group for males.

Incidence rates are significantly lower for females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 85 to 89, when the age-specific incidence rate is 1.9 times lower for females than males.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

For acute myeloid leukaemia, like most cancer types, incidence increases with age. This largely reflects cell DNA damage accumulating over time. Damage can result from biological processes or from exposure to risk factors. A drop or plateau in incidence in the oldest age groups often indicates reduced diagnostic activity perhaps due to general ill health.

 

See also

Acute myeloid leukaemia mortality statistics by age

View Leukaemia (all subtypes combined) incidence statistics

Cancer incidence statistics by age for all cancers

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2.

Last reviewed:

Acute myeloid leukaemia European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 12% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in females and males.

For females, acute myeloid leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 10% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019. For males, acute myeloid leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 10% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), acute myeloid leukaemia AS incidence rates for females and males combined decreased by 8%. In females AS incidence rates decreased by 8%, and in males rates decreased by 10%.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Persons Population, 1993 to 2019

Acute myeloid leukaemia incidence rates have remained stable overall in some broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have increased in others.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have remained stable, in 50-59s have remained stable, in 60-69s have remained stable, in 70-79s have increased by 16% and in 80+s have increased by 46%.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

For acute myeloid leukaemia there are few established risk factors, therefore increasing incidence in the 1980s and 1990s may largely reflect improvements in diagnosis and data recording.

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2019, ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2.

Last reviewed:

Acute myeloid leukaemia incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates Open a glossary item) in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 11% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).[1]

It is estimated that there are around 70 more cases of acute myeloid leukaemia each year in males in England than there would be if every deprivation quintile had the same age-specific crude incidence rates as the least deprived quintile.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2), Estimated Average Number of Excess Cases per Year and European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2013-2017

No data are shown for females as the difference in age-standardised incidence rates between most and least deprived quintiles is not significant for females.

See also

Data table: Cancer incidence rates and excess cases by cancer type in England

Incidence by deprivation for all cancer types combined

Acute myeloid leukaemia mortality by deprivation  (not directly comparable with incidence by deprivation)

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Scotland

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Wales

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, April 2020. Based on method reported in National Cancer Intelligence Network Cancer by Deprivation in England Incidence, 1996-2010 Mortality, 1997-2011 . Using cancer incidence data 2013-2017 (Public Health England) and population data 2013-2017 (Office for National Statistics) by Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2015 income domain quintile, cancer type, sex, and five-year age band.

About this data

Data is for England, 2013-2017, ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C92.6, C92.8, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2.

Last reviewed:

An estimated 6,100 people who had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) between 1991 and 2010 were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.[1]

See also

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK country

What is prevalence?

References

  1. Macmillan Cancer Support and National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. Cancer Prevalence UK Data Tables. London: NCRAS; 2015.

About this data

Data is for: Great Britain (1991-2010) and Northern Ireland (1993-2010), ICD-10 C92.0, C92.4, C92.5, C93.0, C94.0, C94.2.

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.