Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia each year, 2016-2018 average, UK.

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is of total cancer cases, 2016-2018, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cases, 2016-2018, UK

 

Trend over time

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia incidence rates have remained stable since the early 1990s, UK

 

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2016-2018.[1-4]

In females in the UK, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new female cancer cases. In males in the UK, it accounted for less than 1% of all new male cancer cases).

41% of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cases in the UK are in females, and 59% are in males.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rate Open a glossary item) for persons are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (C91.0), 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 277 29 11 10 327
Crude Rate 1.0 1.0 0.7 1.1 1.0
AS Rate 0.9 1.1 0.7 1.0 0.9
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.9 0.8 0.4 0.7 0.9
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.0 1.3 0.9 1.4 1.0
Male Cases 392 38 20 15 464
Crude Rate 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.4
AS Rate 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.3 1.2 0.9 1.0 1.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.8 1.4
Persons Cases 668 67 31 25 791
Crude Rate 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.2
AS Rate 1.1 1.2 0.9 1.2 1.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.1 1.1 0.8 0.9 1.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.5 1.2

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 C91.0.

Last reviewed:

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia incidence is strongly related to age, with the highest incidence rates being in the 0 to 04 age group. In the UK in 2016-2018, on average each year around 5 in 100 new cases (6%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] In contrast to most cancer types, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia occurs most frequently at younger ages.

Age-specific incidence rates are highest in infants aged 0-4 and drop sharply through childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, reaching their lowest point at age 30-34 in females and 45-49 in males, and increasing slightly thereafter. The highest rates are in in the 0 to 04 age group for females and males.

Incidence rates are significantly lower in females than males in a number of (mainly younger) age groups. The gap is widest at age 30 to 34, when the age-specific incidence rate is 2.8 times lower in females than males.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (C91.0), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2016-2018

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 C91.0.

Last reviewed:

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined remained stable in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018.[1-4] The rate remained stable in both females and males.

For females, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK remained stable between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018. For males, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK remained stable between 1993-1995 and 2016-2018.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2006-2008 and 2016-2018), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia AS incidence rates for females and males combined remained stable. In females AS incidence rates remained stable, and in males rates remained stable.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (C91.0), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, UK, 1993 to 2018

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia incidence rates have remained stable overall in some broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have increased or decreased in others. [1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 27%, in 50-59s have remained stable, in 60-69s have remained stable, in 70-79s have remained stable and in 80+s have decreased by 48%.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (C91.0), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2018

For acute lymphoblastic leukaemia there are few established risk factors, therefore increasing incidence in the 1980s and 1990s may largely reflect improvements 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, 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 C91.0.

Last reviewed:

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 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

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 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:

An estimated 8,200 people who had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) between 1991 and 2010 were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.[1]

See also

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK country

What is prevalence?

References

  1. Macmillan Cancer Support and National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. Cancer Prevalence UK Data Tables. London: NCRAS; 2015.

About this data

Data is for: Great Britain (1991 and 2010) and Northern Ireland (1993-2010), ICD-10 C91.0.

Last reviewed:

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