Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia each year, 2017-2019 average, UK

Proportion of all cases

Percentage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is of total cancer cases, 2017-2019, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cases, 2017-2019, 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 2017-2019.[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, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Cases 263 29 11 10 314
Crude Rate 0.9 1.1 0.7 1.0 0.9
AS Rate 0.9 1.1 0.7 0.9 0.9
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.8 0.9 0.5 0.6 0.8
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.9 1.3 0.9 1.3 0.9
Male Cases 386 30 19 16 451
Crude Rate 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.7 1.4
AS Rate 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.2 0.9 0.9 1.1 1.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.4 1.3 1.5 2.0 1.4
Persons Cases 649 60 31 25 765
Crude Rate 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.3 1.2
AS Rate 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.2 1.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.0 0.9 0.7 1.0 1.0
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.5 1.1

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 C91.0.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, 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. Rates for females start to increase and fluctuate from age 40-44 and for males from age 45-49. The highest rates are in the 0 to 04 age group for females and males.

Incidence rates are significantly lower for females than males in a number of (mainly younger) age groups. The gap is widest at age 80 to 84, when the age-specific incidence rate is 2.9 times lower for 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, 2017-2019

 

 

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 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 2017-2019.[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 2017-2019. For males, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK remained stable between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), 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 (ICD-10 C91.0), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Persons Population, 1993 to 2019

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia incidence rates have remained stable overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have decreased in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have remained stable, 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 (ICD-10 C91.0), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

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. 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 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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