There was a coding issue with non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) mortality data in 2016 and 2017, which makes the UK data for NMSC deaths in those years unreliable. The issue is expected to be resolved in the 2018 data. To avoid misinterpretation, 2013-2015 data will be reported here until reliable data are available again in 2018-2020.
Non-melanoma skin cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths in the UK (2015).[1-3]
In males in the UK, non-melanoma skin cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths). In females in the UK it accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths).
66% of non-melanoma skin cancer deaths in the UK are in males, and 34% are in females.
Non-melanoma skin cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised 
for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Northern Ireland and Scotland and similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.
Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer (C44), Number of Deaths, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2015
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | UK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | Deaths | 199 | 25 | 17 | 8 | 249 |
| Crude Rate | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | |
| AS Rate | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | |
| AS Rate - 95% LCL | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.6 | |
| AS Rate - 95% UCL | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.8 | |
| Male | Deaths | 381 | 57 | 21 | 26 | 485 |
| Crude Rate | 1.4 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 1.5 | |
| AS Rate | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 4.7 | 2.0 | |
| AS Rate - 95% LCL | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 1.8 | |
| AS Rate - 95% UCL | 2.0 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 6.6 | 2.2 | |
| Persons | Deaths | 580 | 82 | 38 | 34 | 734 |
| Crude Rate | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | |
| AS Rate | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 | |
| AS Rate - 95% LCL | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | |
| AS Rate - 95% UCL | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 1.3 | |
around the References
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, ICD-10 C44.
A coding change in the data for 2016 and 2017 resulted in a seeming increase in the mortality rate of non-melanoma skin cancer. Deaths due to squamous cell cancer, that had previously been coded as being from an unknown body site (C80), were assigned to non-melanoma skin cancer (C44). Because deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer are rare a relatively small increase in the numbers has resulted in a large increase in rates. The rate has stabilised in 2017 and is expected to return to previous levels in 2018.
