Gallbladder cancer incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of gallbladder cancer each year, 2017-2019 average, UK.

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage gallbladder cancer is of total cancer cases, 2017-2019, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of gallbladder cancer cases, 2017-2019, UK

Trend over time

Change in gallbladder cancer incidence rates since the early 1990s, UK

 

Gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, gallbladder cancer is not among the 20 most common cancers (less than 1% of all new female cancer cases). In males in the UK, it is not among the 20 most common cancers (less than 1% of all new male cancer cases).

71% of gallbladder cancer cases in the UK are in females, and 29% are in males.

Gallbladder 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 are similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

For gallbladder cancer, like most cancer types, differences between countries largely reflect risk factor prevalence in years past.

Gallbladder Cancer (C23), 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 667 73 42 29 811
Crude Rate 2.4 2.6 2.6 3.0 2.4
AS Rate 2.3 2.5 2.3 3.2 2.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 2.4 2.8 2.7 3.9 2.5
Male Cases 277 31 17 12 338
Crude Rate 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.0
AS Rate 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.7 1.2
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.3 1.6 1.5 2.2 1.3
Persons Cases 944 104 59 41 1,148
Crude Rate 1.7 1.9 1.9 2.2 1.7
AS Rate 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.5 1.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.7 1.7 1.5 2.1 1.8
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.9 2.2 2.0 3.0 1.9

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 C23.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year more than half of new cases (54%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Age-specific incidence rates rise from around age 40-44, more steeply for females than males. Afterwards rates drop in the oldest age groups for females while continuing to increase for males. The highest rates are in the 80 to 84 age group for females and the 90+ 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 40 to 44, when the age-specific incidence rate is 3.1 times higher for females than males.

Gallbladder Cancer (C23), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

For gallbladder cancer, like most cancer types, incidence increases with age. This 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

Gallbladder cancer mortality statistics by age

Cancer incidence statistics by age for all cancers

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 C23.

Last reviewed:

Gallbladder cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 66% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in females and males.

For females, gallbladder cancer AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 74% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019. For males, gallbladder cancer AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 57% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), gallbladder cancer AS incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 40%. In females AS incidence rates increased by 44%, and in males rates increased by 34%.

Gallbladder Cancer (ICD-10 C23), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Persons Population, 1993 to 2019

Gallbladder cancer incidence rates have increased overall in some broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have remained stable in others.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 84%, in 50-59s have remained stable, in 60-69s have increased by 46%, in 70-79s have increased by 76% and in 80+s have increased by 78%.

Gallbladder Cancer (ICD-10 C23), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

For gallbladder cancer, like most cancer types, incidence trends largely reflect changing prevalence of risk factors and improvements in diagnosis and data recording. Recent incidence trends are influenced by risk factor prevalence in years past, and trends by age group reflect risk factor exposure in birth cohorts.

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 C23.

Last reviewed:

The number of new gallbladder cancer cases on average each year in the UK is projected to rise from around 1,700 cases in 2023-2025 to around 3,100 cases in 2038-2040.[1]

Gallbladder cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 47% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 4 cases per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a larger increase for females than for males.

For females, gallbladder cancer European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates in the UK are projected to rise by 53% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 5 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to rise by 31% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 2 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Gallbladder cancer (C23), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, by Sex, UK, 1993-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Incidence trends over time for gallbladder cancer

Projections of incidence for all cancers combined

Gallbladder 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 C23.

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:

Gallbladder cancer incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates) Open a glossary item in England in females are 90% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 38% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).[1]

It is estimated that there are around 180 more cases of gallbladder cancer each year in England than there would be if every deprivation quintile had the same age-specific crude incidence rates as the least deprived quintile. Around 130 of these cases are in females, and around 45 in males.

In the text above, males and females’ excess cases do not sum to persons excess cases due to rounding
 

Gallbladder Cancer (C23), Estimated Average Number of Excess Cases per Year and European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2013-2017

See also

Data table: Cancer incidence rates and excess cases by cancer type in England

Incidence by deprivation for all cancer types combined

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 C23.

Last reviewed:

An estimated 3,600 people who had been diagnosed with gallbladder cancer between 1991 and 2010 were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.[1]

See also

Gallbladder 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 (1991-2010) and Northern Ireland (1993-2010), ICD-10 C23

Last reviewed:

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