Anal cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from anal cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Percentage of all deaths

Percentage anal cancer contributes to total cancer deaths, 2017-2019, UK

Age

Peak mortality rate for anal cancer, 2017-2019, UK

Trend over time

Change in anal cancer mortality rates since the late 1970s, UK

Anal cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, anal cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death (less than 1% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death (less than 1% of all male cancer deaths).

63% of anal cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 37% are in males (2017-2019).

Anal cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) in the UK are significantly higher in females than in males (2017-2019).

Anal cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Scotland, and similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

For anal cancer there are mortality differences between countries despite there being no such differences in incidence.

Anal cancer is one of the few non-sex-specific cancer types with a higher mortality ASR in women than men, this is probably due to sex differences in incidence.

Anal Cancer (C21), Annual Average Number of Deaths, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Deaths 232 30 15 5 282
Crude Rate 0.8 1.1 0.9 0.6 0.8
AS Rate 0.8 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.8
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.9 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.9
Male Deaths 128 21 10 3 162
Crude Rate 0.5 0.8 0.7 0.4 0.5
AS Rate 0.5 0.9 0.7 0.4 0.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.5
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.6 1.1 1.0 0.7 0.6
Persons Deaths 360 51 25 9 444
Crude Rate 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.7
AS Rate 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.7 1.1 1.0 0.7 0.7

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

See also

Anal cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Anal cancer survival statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, C21.

Last reviewed:

Anal cancer mortality is strongly related to age, with the highest mortality rates being in older people. In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year more than 4 in 10 deaths (42%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for anal cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 40-44 and more steeply from around age 75-79. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for both females and males. Mortality rates are similar between females and males in most age groups.

Anal Cancer (C21), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Anal cancer incidence statistics by age

Anal cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer mortality statistics for all cancers by age

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C67.

Last reviewed:

Anal cancer European age-standardised age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates for females and males combined increased by 80% in the UK between 1979-1981 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was larger in females than in males.

For females, anal cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 121% between 1979-1981 and 2017-2019. For males, anal cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 38% between 1979-1981 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), anal cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined increased by 38%. In females AS mortality rates increased by 52%, and in males rates remained stable.

Anal Cancer (C21), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 1979-2019

For most cancer types, mortality trends largely reflect incidence and survival trends. For example, rising mortality may reflect rising incidence and stable survival, while falling mortality may reflect rising incidence and rising survival.

Anal cancer mortality rates have increased overall in most broad age groups in females in the UK since the late 1970s, but have remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 590%, in 50-59s have increased by 183%, in 60-69s have increased by 172%, in 70-79s have increased by 94% and in 80+s have increased by 63%.

Anal Cancer (C21), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, By Age, UK, 1979-2019

Anal cancer mortality rates have remained stable overall in some broad age groups in males in the UK since the late 1970s, but have increased in others.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 165%, in 50-59s have increased by 82%, in 60-69s have remained stable, in 70-79s have remained stable and in 80+s have remained stable.

Anal Cancer (C21), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Male Population, By Age, UK, 1979-2019

See also

Anal cancer incidence trends over time

Anal cancer risk factors

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1979-2019, C21.

ICD-10 coding for anal cancer changed in 1979 so data from before this point are not comparable with data from after this point. Anal cancer mortality trends over time are calculated only from 1979 onwards.

Cancers in children and young people (aged 0-24) are best classified using a different system to cancers in adults, so the figures presented here may not correspond with those elsewhere.

Last reviewed:

It is projected that the average number of deaths from anal cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 540 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 950 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Anal cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 45% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 1 death per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a larger increase for females than for males.

For females, anal cancer European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to rise by 62% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 2 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to rise by 14% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 1 death per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Anal cancer (C21), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data (xlsx)

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 mortality data (1975-2018).

About this data

Projections are based on mortality data from 1979-2018 (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1979-2018 (observed) and 2019-2040 (projected). Number of deaths and age-standardised rates are presented as annual averages for each 3-year rolling period. ICD-10 codes C21.

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

There is evidence for an association between anal cancer mortality and deprivation for both males and females in England (though the association is stronger for males).[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are 134% higher for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 85% higher for females.[1]

Anal Cancer (C21), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in anal cancer mortality between people living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011.[1] It has been estimated that there would have been around 70 fewer cancer deaths each year in England during 2007-2011 if all people experienced the same mortality rates as the least deprived.[1]

See also

Cancer mortality by socio-economic group

Deprivation gradient in anal cancer incidence

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Scotland

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Wales

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Cancer Research UK and National Cancer Intelligence Network. Cancer by deprivation in England: Incidence, 1996-2010, Mortality, 1997-2011. London: NCIN; 2014.

About this data

Data is for: UK, 2007-2011, ICD-10 C21

Deprivation gradient statistics were calculated using mortality data for 2007-2011. The deprivation quintiles were calculated using the Income domain scores from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the following years: 2004, 2007 and 2010. Full details on the data and methodology can be found in the Cancer by Deprivation in England NCIN report.

Last reviewed:

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