Oesophageal cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from oesophageal cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Proportion of all deaths

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

 

Age

Peak rate of oesophageal cancer deaths, 2017-2019, UK

 

Trend over time

Change in oesophageal cancer mortality rates since the early 1970s, UK

Oesophageal cancer is the 7th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 5% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, oesophageal cancer is the 7th most common cause of cancer death (3% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 4th most common cause of cancer death (6% of all male cancer deaths).

31% of oesophageal cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 69% are in males (2017-2019).

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

Oesophageal cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Scotland and Wales, significantly lower than the UK average in Northern Ireland, and similar to the UK average in England.

For oesophageal cancer, mortality differences between countries largely reflect differences in incidence.

Oesophageal Cancer (C15), 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 2,020 291 145 47 2,503
Crude Rate 7.1 10.4 9.1 4.9 7.4
AS Rate 6.9 9.8 8.0 5.2 7.2
AS Rate - 95% LCL 6.7 9.1 7.2 4.3 7.0
AS Rate - 95% UCL 7.1 10.4 8.7 6.1 7.3
Male Deaths 4,541 555 310 133 5,539
Crude Rate 16.4 20.9 20.0 14.4 16.9
AS Rate 19.0 23.4 20.6 17.7 19.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 18.7 22.3 19.3 16.0 19.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 19.3 24.5 21.9 19.5 19.7
Persons Deaths 6,561 846 455 180 8,043
Crude Rate 11.7 15.6 14.5 9.6 12.1
AS Rate 12.5 15.9 13.8 11.0 12.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 12.3 15.3 13.1 10.1 12.6
AS Rate - 95% UCL 12.6 16.6 14.6 11.9 13.0
95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

See also

Oesophageal cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Oesophageal 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, C15.

Last reviewed:

Oesophageal 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 almost half of deaths (48%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for oesophageal cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steeply (more so in males) from around age 45-49. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for both females and males. Mortality rates are significantly lower in females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 35 to 39, when the age-specific mortality rate is 6.4 times lower in females than males.

Oesophageal Cancer (C15), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Oesophageal cancer incidence statistics by age

Oesophageal cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer mortality statistics by age for all cancers

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 C15.

Last reviewed:

Oesophageal cancer age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item rates for females and males combined increased by 40% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The change varied markedly between sexes.

For females, oesophageal cancer AS mortality rates in the UK remained stable between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, oesophageal cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 53% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), oesophageal cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 9%. In females AS mortality rates decreased by 14%, and in males rates decreased by 9%.

Oesophageal Cancer (C15), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 1971-2019

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.

Oesophageal cancer mortality rates have varied between age groups in females in the UK since the early 1970s.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have decreased by 51%, in 50-59s have decreased by 24%, in 60-69s have remained stable, in 70-79s have remained stable and in 80+s have increased by 19%.

Oesophageal Cancer (C15), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

Oesophageal cancer mortality rates have increased overall in some broad age groups in males in the UK since the early 1970s, but have remained stable in others.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have remained stable, in 50-59s have increased by 40%, in 60-69s have increased by 56%, in 70-79s have increased by 53% and in 80+s have increased by 58%.

Oesophageal Cancer (C15), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Male Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

See also

Oesophageal cancer incidence trends over time

Oesophageal cancer survival trends over time

Oesophageal 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, 1971-2019, C15.

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 oesophageal cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 8,400 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 9,300 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Oesophageal cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 10% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 11 deaths per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a similar decrease for males and females.

For females, oesophageal cancer European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to fall by 10% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 6 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to fall by 11% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 16 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Oesophageal cancer (C15), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for oesophageal cancer

Projections of mortality for all cancers combined

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 mortality data (1975-2018).

About this data

Projections are based on mortality data from 1975-2018 (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1975-2018 (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 C15.

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 oesophageal cancer mortality and deprivation for both males and females in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are 60% higher for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 50% higher for females.[1]

Oesophageal Cancer (C15), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in oesophageal 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 1,100 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

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in oesophageal 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 C15

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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