Myeloma incidence statistics

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Cases

New cases of myeloma, 2015-2017, UK

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage myeloma is of total cancer cases, 2015-2017, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of myeloma cases, 2014-2016, UK

Trend over time

Change in myeloma incidence rates since the early 1990s, UK

 

Myeloma is the 19th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 2% of all new cancer cases (2016).[1-4]

In females in the UK it is the 18th most common cancer (1% of all new female cancer cases). In males in the UK, myeloma is the 16th most common cancer (2% of all new male cancer cases).

43% of myeloma cases in the UK are in females, and 57% are in males.

Myeloma incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates Open a glossary item) for persons are significantly lower than the UK average in Wales, and similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

Myeloma (C90), Number of New Cases, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Cases 2,103 199 112 69 2,483
Crude Rate 7.5 7.1 7.1 7.3 7.4
AS Rate 7.5 6.8 6.6 7.8 7.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 7.2 5.9 5.4 6.0 7.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 7.9 7.8 7.8 9.6 7.7
Male Cases 2,931 258 143 103 3,435
Crude Rate 10.7 9.8 9.3 11.2 10.5
AS Rate 12.4 11.1 9.4 13.9 12.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 11.9 9.7 7.9 11.3 11.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 12.8 12.4 10.9 16.6 12.6
Persons Cases 5,034 457 255 172 5,918
Crude Rate 9.1 8.4 8.2 9.2 9.0
AS Rate 9.7 8.7 7.9 10.7 9.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 9.5 7.9 6.9 9.1 9.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 10.0 9.5 8.9 12.3 9.8

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
 

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

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, November 2019. 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 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, December 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017, ICD-10 C90.

Last reviewed:

Myeloma incidence is strongly related to age, with the highest incidence rates being in older people. In the UK in 2014-2016, on average each year more than 4 in 10 (44%) new cases were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Age-specific incidence rates rise steadily from around age 50-54 and more steeply from around age 65-69. The highest rates are in the 85 to 89 age group for females and males.

Incidence rates are significantly lower in females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 35 to 39, when the age-specific incidence rate is 2.1 times lower in females than males.

Myeloma (C90), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2014-2016

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
 

For myeloma, 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

Myeloma mortality statistics by age

Myeloma survival statistics by age

Cancer incidence statistics by age for all cancers

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, August 2018. 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 2018. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, February 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, April 2018. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2014-2016, ICD-10 C90.

Last reviewed:

Myeloma European age-standardised (AS) incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 32% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2015-2017.[1-4] The increase was larger in males than in females.

For females, myeloma AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 20% between 1993-1995 and 2015-2017. For males, myeloma AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 35% between 1993-1995 and 2015-2017.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2005-2007 and 2015-2017), myeloma AS incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 15%. In females AS incidence rates increased by 10%, and in males rates increased by 17%.

Myeloma (ICD-10 C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, UK, 1993-2017

Myeloma incidence rates have increased overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 51%, in 50-59s have increased by 34%, in 60-69s have increased by 26%, in 70-79s have increased by 31%, and in 80+s have increased by 35%.

Myeloma (ICD-10 C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, By Age, UK, 1993-2017

For myeloma, like most cancer types, incidence trends largely reflect changing prevalence of risk factors and improvements in diagnosis and data recording. Recent incidence trends are influenced by risk factor prevalence in years past, and trends by age group reflect risk factor exposure in birth cohorts.

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, November 2019. 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 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were provided by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales on request, December 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2019. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2017, ICD-10 C90.

Last reviewed:

Myeloma incidence rates are projected to rise by 11% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, to 12 cases per 100,000 people by 2035.[1] This includes a larger increase for males than for females.

For males, myeloma European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates in the UK are projected to rise by 13% between 2014 and 2035, to 16 cases per 100,000 by 2035.[1] For females, rates are projected to rise by 7% between 2014 and 2035, to 10 cases per 100,000 by 2035.[1]

Myeloma (C90), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, by Sex, UK, 1979-2035

Download the data table (xls)
 

It is projected that 8,888 cases of myeloma (5,229 in males, 3,659 in females) will be diagnosed in the UK in 2035.

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Incidence trends over time for myeloma

Projections of incidence for all cancers combined

Myeloma risk

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 C90

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:

Myeloma 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 similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).[1]

See also

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

Incidence by deprivation for all cancer types combined

Myeloma 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 C21.

Last reviewed:

Age-standardised Open a glossary item rates for White males with myeloma (ICD-10 C88-C90) range from 6.1 to 6.5 per 100,000. Rates for Asian males are similar, ranging from 3.6 to 6.4 per 100,000, whereas the rates for Black males are significantly higher, ranging from 10.9 to 18.2 per 100,000. For females there is a similar pattern - the age-standardised rates for White females range from 3.9 to 4.2 per 100,000. Rates for Asian females are similar, ranging from 2.3 to 4.4 per 100,000, whereas the rates for Black females are significantly higher, ranging from 6.6 to 11.5 per 100,000.[1]

Ranges are given because of the analysis methodology used to account for missing and unknown data. For myeloma, 17,357 cases were identified; 18% had no known ethnicity.

A similar ethnic pattern has been observed in the UK for almost 40 years, with myeloma occurring around twice as frequently in African Americans as Caucasians.[2] It appears that, in comparison with white people, black people have younger myeloma onset,[3] and a higher incidence of MGUS (though no difference in progression risk).[4,5] However, the reasons underpinning these ethnic differences have yet to be explained, and are currently the subject of much research.[4,6]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Cancer incidence statistics by ethnicity

References

  1. National Cancer Intelligence Network and Cancer Research UK. Cancer Incidence and Survival by Major Ethnic Group, England, 2002-2006. 2009.
  2. Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2008 (based on November 2010 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER website 2011). Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute, 2011.
  3. Waxman AJ, Mink PJ, Devesa SS, et al. Racial disparities in incidence and outcome in multiple myeloma: a population-based study. Blood 2010;116(25):5501-6.
  4. Greenberg AJ, Vachon CM, Rajkumar SV. Disparities in the prevalence, pathogenesis and progression of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and multiple myeloma between blacks and whites. Leukemia 2011.
  5. Landgren O, Graubard BI, Katzmann JA, et al. Racial disparities in the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies: a population-based study of 12 482 persons from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. Leukemia. 2014 Jan 20.
  6. Landgren O, Weiss BM. Patterns of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and multiple myeloma in various ethnic/racial groups: support for genetic factors in pathogenesis. Leukemia 2009;23(10):1691-7.

About this data

Data is for England, 2002-2006, ICD-10 C88-C90

Last reviewed:

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