Vulval cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from vulval cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Proportion of all deaths

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

Age

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

 

Trend over time

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

Vulval cancer is the 20th most common cause of cancer death in females in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer deaths in females (2017-2019). In females and males combined, vulval 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]

Vulval cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for females are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

For vulval cancer, mortality and incidence rates do not vary between the UK constituent nations.

Vulval Cancer (C51), Annual Average Number of Deaths, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Deaths 388 43 26 12 469
Crude Rate 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.2 1.4
AS Rate 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.2 1.2 1.1 0.8 1.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.4 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.4
Persons Deaths 388 43 26 12 469
Crude Rate 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.7
AS Rate 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.8

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

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, C51.

Last reviewed:

Vulval cancer mortality is strongly related to age, with the highest mortality rates being in older women. In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year more than two-thirds of deaths (68%) were in females aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for vulval cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 40-44 and more steeply from around age 70-74. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group.

Vulval Cancer (C51), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, UK, 2017-2019

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 C51.

Last reviewed:

Vulval cancer age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item rates for females decreased by 38% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), vulval cancer AS mortality rates for females remained stable.

Vulval Cancer (C51), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female 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.

Vulval cancer mortality rates have decreased overall in most broad age groups in females in the UK since the early 1970s, but have remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have decreased by 50%, in 50-59s have decreased by 37%, in 60-69s have decreased by 49%, in 70-79s have decreased by 54% and in 80+s have decreased by 17%.

Vulval Cancer (C51), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

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, C51.

Last reviewed:

It is projected that the average number of deaths from vulval cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 560 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 870 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Vulval cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 20% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 2 deaths per 100,000 females on average each year by 2038-2040.[1]

Vulval cancer (C51), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, 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 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 C51.

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 vulval cancer mortality and deprivation in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are 88% higher for females living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.[1]

Vulval Cancer (C51), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, Females, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in vulval cancer mortality between females 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 90 fewer cancer deaths each year in England during 2007-2011 if all females experienced the same mortality rates as the least deprived.[1

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 C51

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:

Cancer stats explained

See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

Citation

You are welcome to reuse this Cancer Research UK content for your own work.
Credit us as authors by referencing Cancer Research UK as the primary source. Suggested styles are:

Web content: Cancer Research UK, full URL of the page, Accessed [month] [year].
Publications: Cancer Research UK ([year of publication]), Name of publication, Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when reused unaltered): Credit: Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when recreated with differences): Based on a graphic created by Cancer Research UK.

When Cancer Research UK material is used for commercial reasons, we encourage a donation to our life-saving research.
Send a cheque payable to Cancer Research UK to: Cancer Research UK, 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ or

Donate Online 

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.