Uterine cancer statistics

Cases

New cases of uterine cancer, 2016-2018, UK

Deaths

Deaths from uterine cancer, 2017-2019, UK

 

Survival

Survive uterine cancer for 10 or more years, 2013-17, England and Wales

Preventable cases

Uterine cancer cases are preventable, UK, 2015

 

  • There are around 9,700 new uterine cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 27 every day (2016-2018).
  • In females in the UK, uterine cancer is the 4th most common cancer, with around 9,700 new cases every year (2016-2018).
  • Uterine cancer accounts for 5% of all new cancer cases in females in the UK (2016-2018).
  • Uterine cancer accounts for 3% of all new cancer cases in females and males combined in the UK (2016-2018).
  • Incidence rates for uterine cancer in the UK are highest in females aged 75 to 79 (2016-2018).
  • Each year more than a quarter (27%) of all new uterine cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in females aged 75 and over (2016-2018).
  • Since the early 1990s, uterine cancer incidence rates have increased by around three-fifths (59%) in females in the UK (2016-2018).
  • Over the last decade, uterine cancer incidence rates have increased by more than a tenth (12%) in females in the UK (2016-2018).
  • See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for statistics on stage at diagnosis for uterine cancer.
  • The most common specific location for uterine cancers in the UK is the endometrium (2016-2018).
  • Uterine cancer incidence rates are projected to fall by 2% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 11,800 new cases of uterine cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Uterine cancer incidence rates in England in females are 17% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Around 640 cases of uterine cancer each year in England are linked with deprivation.
  • Incidence rates for uterine cancer are higher in the Black ethnic group, lower in people of mixed or multiple ethnicities, and similar in the Asian ethnic group, compared with the White ethnic group, in females in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 70,200 women who had previously been diagnosed with uterine cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth uterine cancer incidence statistics

  • There are around 2,500 uterine cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's nearly 7 every day (2017-2019).
  • Uterine cancer is the the 8th most common cause of cancer death in females in the UK, accounting for 3% of all cancer deaths in females in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Uterine cancer accounts for 1% of all cancer deaths in females and males combined in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for uterine cancer in the UK are highest in females aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year more than half of all uterine cancer deaths (52%) in the UK are in females aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, uterine cancer mortality rates have remained stable in females in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, uterine cancer mortality rates have increased by around a quarter (24%) in females in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for cervical and uterine cancers combined are generally similar or higher in females of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.
  • Uterine cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 12% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 4,200 deaths of uterine cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Uterine cancer deaths in England are more common in females living in the most deprived areas.

See more in-depth uterine cancer mortality statistics

  • 9 in 10 (89.5%) of women diagnosed with uterine cancer in England survive their disease for one year or more (2013-2017).
  • Around 3 in 4 (75.6%) of women diagnosed with uterine cancer in England survive their disease for five years or more (2013-2017).
  • It is predicted that more than 7 in 10 (71.6%) of women diagnosed with uterine cancer in England survive their disease for ten years or more (2013-2017).
  • Almost 9 in 10 women in England diagnosed with uterine cancer aged 15-39 survive their disease for five years or more, compared with less than 6 in 10 women diagnosed aged 80 and over (2009-2013).
  • Uterine cancer survival is improving and has increased in the last 40 years in the UK.
  • In the 1970s, almost 6 in 10 women diagnosed with uterine cancer survived their disease beyond ten years, now it's almost 8 in 10.
  • When diagnosed at its earliest stage, around all (99%) people with uterine cancer will survive their disease for one year or more, compared with almost 1 in 2 (46%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
  • When diagnosed at its earliest stage, more than 9 in 10 (92%) people with uterine cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, compared with 3 in 20 (15%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
  • Five-year relative survival for uterine cancer in women is similar to the European average in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

See more in-depth uterine cancer survival statistics

  • A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
  • 1 in 36 UK females will be diagnosed with uterine cancer in their lifetime.
  • 34% of uterine cancer cases in the UK are preventable.

See more in-depth uterine cancer risk statistics

  • 'Two-week wait’ standards are met by all countries, ‘31-day wait’ is met by all but Northern Ireland and Wales, and ’62-day wait’ is met by all but Wales, Northern Ireland and only partly by Scotland for gynaecological cancers.
  • Around 8 in 10 uterine cancer patients receive major surgical resection as part of their cancer treatment.
  • 21% of patients diagnosed with uterine cancer have radiotherapy as part of their primary cancer treatment.
  • 16% of patients diagnosed with uterine cancer have chemotherapy as part of their primary cancer treatment.

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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.