Thyroid cancer incidence statistics

Thyroid cancer is the 20th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 1% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, thyroid cancer is the 15th most common cancer (2% of all new female cancer cases). In males in the UK, it is the 20th most common cancer (less than 1% of all new male cancer cases).

72% of thyroid cancer cases in the UK are in females, and 28% are in males.

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

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

Thyroid Cancer (C73), 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 2,475 231 101 106 2,913
Crude Rate 8.7 8.3 6.3 11.1 8.7
AS Rate 9.0 8.2 6.4 11.6 8.9
AS Rate - 95% LCL 8.8 7.6 5.7 10.3 8.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 9.2 8.8 7.1 12.9 9.1
Male Cases 954 88 43 43 1,128
Crude Rate 3.4 3.3 2.8 4.6 3.4
AS Rate 3.7 3.4 2.9 5.2 3.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 3.6 3.0 2.4 4.3 3.5
AS Rate - 95% UCL 3.8 3.8 3.4 6.0 3.8
Persons Cases 3,429 319 144 149 4,040
Crude Rate 6.1 5.9 4.6 7.9 6.1
AS Rate 6.4 5.9 4.7 8.5 6.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 6.3 5.5 4.2 7.7 6.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 6.5 6.3 5.1 9.2 6.4
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 C73.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year around a tenth of new cases (11%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] Thyroid cancer incidence rates in females are highest overall in younger and middle-aged women – a different pattern to male thyroid cancer, and to most cancers.

Age-specific incidence rates rise from around age 10-14, steeply for females with a peak in the 40-44 age group, then rates drop and slightly fluctuate. Rates for males rise gradually and fluctuate, then drop after age 70-74. The highest rates are in the 40 to 44 age group for females and the 70 to 74 age group for males.

Incidence rates are significantly higher for females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 30 to 34, when the age-specific incidence rate is 4.9 times higher for females than males.

Thyroid Cancer (C73), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

Childhood cancer usually has no known cause. For cancers in adulthood, increasing incidence with age 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

Thyroid cancer mortality statistics by age

Thyroid cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer incidence statistics by age for all cancers in the UK

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

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C73.

Last reviewed:

Thyroid cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 186% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in females and males.

For females, thyroid cancer AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 194% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019. For males, thyroid cancer AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 183% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), thyroid cancer AS incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 62%. In females AS incidence rates increased by 61%, and in males rates increased by 64%.

Thyroid Cancer (ICD-10 C73), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Persons Population, 1993 to 2019

Thyroid cancer incidence rates have increased overall in all broad age groups in females in the UK since the early 1990s.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have increased by 121%, in 25-49s have increased by 256%, in 50-59s have increased by 267%, in 60-69s have increased by 202%, in 70-79s have increased by 110% and in 80+s have increased by 31%.

Thyroid Cancer (ICD-10 C73), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Female Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

Thyroid cancer incidence rates have increased overall in all broad age groups in males in the UK since the early 1990s.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have increased by 263%, in 25-49s have increased by 253%, in 50-59s have increased by 217%, in 60-69s have increased by 157%, in 70-79s have increased by 154% and in 80+s have increased by 77%.

Thyroid Cancer (ICD-10 C73), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Male Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

Thyroid cancer incidence trends probably reflect incidental detection of asymptomatic disease through increasing use of medical imaging techniques. Changing prevalence of risk factors, with recent incidence trends influenced by risk factor prevalence in years past, probably also plays some part.

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 C73.

Last reviewed:

For females, thyroid cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates in the UK are projected to rise by 15% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 11 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Male thyroid cancer incidence data was not suitable for projections due to erratic trends in some age groups.

Thyroid cancer (C73), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Females, UK, 1993-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Incidence trends over time for thyroid cancer

Projections of incidence for all cancers combined

Thyroid cancer 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 C73.

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:

Thyroid cancer 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

Thyroid cancer 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 C73.

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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