Myeloma incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of myeloma each year, 2016-2018 average, UK

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage myeloma is of total cancer cases, 2016-2018, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of myeloma cases, 2016-2018, 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 (2016-2018).[1-4]

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

42% of myeloma cases in the UK are in females, and 58% are in males.

Myeloma incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rate 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.

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

Myeloma (C90), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2016-2018

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Cases 2,115 207 113 69 2,505
Crude Rate 7.5 7.4 7.1 7.3 7.5
AS Rate 7.6 7.1 6.5 7.9 7.5
AS Rate - 95% LCL 7.4 6.6 5.8 6.8 7.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 7.8 7.7 7.2 9.0 7.7
Male Cases 2,926 270 150 100 3,446
Crude Rate 10.6 10.2 9.8 10.8 10.6
AS Rate 12.4 11.5 10.1 13.6 12.2
AS Rate - 95% LCL 12.1 10.7 9.1 12.1 12.0
AS Rate - 95% UCL 12.6 12.3 11.0 15.1 12.4
Persons Cases 5,041 477 264 169 5,951
Crude Rate 9.1 8.8 8.4 9.0 9.0
AS Rate 9.7 9.1 8.2 10.5 9.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 9.6 8.6 7.6 9.6 9.5
AS Rate - 95% UCL 9.9 9.6 8.7 11.4 9.8

95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item
 

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, July 2021. 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 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 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 C90.

Last reviewed:

Myeloma incidence is strongly related to age, with the highest incidence rates being in older people. In the UK in 2016-2018, on average each year more than 4 in 10 new cases (43%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Age-specific incidence rates rise steadily from around age 40-44 and more steeply from around age 60-64. The highest rates are in 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 90+, 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, 2016-2018

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, July 2021. 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 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 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 C90.

Last reviewed:

Myeloma European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 33% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018.[1-4] The increase was larger in males than in females.

For females, myeloma AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 21% between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018. For males, myeloma AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 36% between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2006-2008 and 2016-2018), myeloma AS incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 11%. In females AS incidence rates increased by 6%, and in males rates increased by 13%.

Myeloma (C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, UK, 1993 to 2018

Myeloma incidence rates have increased overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 59%, in 50-59s have increased by 35%, in 60-69s have increased by 25%, in 70-79s have increased by 33% and in 80+s have increased by 34%.

Myeloma (C90), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2018

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, July 2021. 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 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/, March 2021.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, May 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2018, ICD-10 C90.

Last reviewed:

The number of new myeloma cases on average each year in the UK is projected to rise from around 6,800 cases in 2023-2025 to around 8,300 cases in 2038-2040.[1]

Myeloma incidence rates are projected to rise by less than 1% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 10 cases per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a similar increase for males and females.

For females, myeloma European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates in the UK are projected to rise by 1% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 8 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to rise by less than 1% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 12 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Myeloma (C90), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, by Sex, UK, 1993-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

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

Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, February 2023. Age-period-cohort modelling approach described here, using 2020-based population projections (Office for National Statistics) and observed cancer incidence (1975-2018 for England, Scotland and Wales, 1993-2018 for Northern Ireland).

About this data

Projections are based on incidence data from 1975-2018 (England, Scotland and Wales) and 1993-2018 (Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1993-2018 (observed) and 2019-2040 (projected). Number of new cases and age-standardised rates are presented as annual averages for each 3-year rolling period. ICD-10 codes C90.

Projections are based on observed incidence rates and therefore implicitly include changes in cancer risk factors and diagnosis. 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:

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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