Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) statistics

Cases

New cases of chronic myeloid leukaemia each year, 2017-2019 average, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from chronic myeloid leukaemia, 2017-2019, UK.

  • There are around 840 new chronic myeloid leukaemia cases in the UK every year, that's more than 2 every day (2017-2019).
  • Chronic myeloid leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2017-2019.
  • In females in the UK, chronic myeloid leukaemia accounted for around 370 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, chronic myeloid leukaemia accounted for around 460 new cancer cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for chronic myeloid leukaemia in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2017-2019).
  • Each year around a quarter (24%) of all new chronic myeloid leukaemia cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1990s, chronic myeloid leukaemia incidence rates have decreased by around a quarter (26%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by a fifth (20%), and rates in males have decreased by more than a third (35%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, chronic myeloid leukaemia incidence rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have increased by almost a sixth (16%), and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • Chronic myeloid leukaemia incidence rates 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).
  • Incidence rates for chronic myeloid leukaemia are higher in the Asian ethnic group, compared with the White ethnic group, in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 6,000 people who had previously been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth CML incidence statistics

  • There are around 220 chronic myeloid leukaemia deaths in the UK every year, that's more than 4 every week (2017-2019).
  • Chronic myeloid leukaemia accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths in the UK (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, chronic myeloid leukaemia accounts for around 95 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, chronic myeloid leukaemia accounts for around 130 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for chronic myeloid leukaemia in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2017-2019).
  • Each year around two-thirds of all chronic myeloid leukaemia deaths (67%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, chronic myeloid leukaemia mortality rates have decreased by almost three-quarters (73%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by almost four-fifths (78%), and rates in males have decreased by around seven-tenths (71%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, chronic myeloid leukaemia mortality rates have decreased by around a seventh (15%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by more than a fifth (22%), and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • Leukaemia (CML) deaths in England are more common in males living in the most deprived areas. There is no association for females.

See more in-depth CML mortality statistics

  • Chronic myeloid leukaemia survival data are available on the HMRN website.
  • Five-year relative survival for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is generally similar to the European average in the UK. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • Further one-, five- and ten-year survival statistics can be found on the Cancer Statistics Dashboard.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.