Kidney cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from kidney cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Percentage of all deaths

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

Age

Peak mortality rate for kidney cancer, 2017-2019, UK

Trend over time

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

Kidney cancer is the 13th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 3% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, kidney cancer is the 13th most common cause of cancer death (2% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 11th most common cause of cancer death (3% of all male cancer deaths).

38% of kidney cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 62% are in males (2017-2019).

Kidney 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).

Kidney cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Scotland, and similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

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

Kidney Cancer (C64-C66, C68), 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 1,447 198 90 37 1,772
Crude Rate 5.1 7.1 5.6 3.9 5.3
AS Rate 4.9 6.7 5.0 4.1 5.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 4.8 6.1 4.4 3.4 4.9
AS Rate - 95% UCL 5.1 7.2 5.6 4.9 5.2
Male Deaths 2,412 289 159 77 2,937
Crude Rate 8.7 10.9 10.3 8.3 9.0
AS Rate 10.2 12.6 10.9 10.7 10.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 10.0 11.7 9.9 9.3 10.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 10.4 13.4 11.9 12.0 10.7
Persons Deaths 3,859 487 249 114 4,709
Crude Rate 6.9 8.9 7.9 6.1 7.1
AS Rate 7.3 9.2 7.5 7.0 7.5
AS Rate - 95% LCL 7.2 8.8 7.0 6.3 7.4
AS Rate - 95% UCL 7.4 9.7 8.1 7.8 7.6

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

See also

Kidney cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Kidney 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, C64-C66, C68.

Last reviewed:

Kidney 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 more than half of deaths (53%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for kidney 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 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 40 to 44, when the age-specific mortality rate is 3.5 times lower in females than males.

Kidney Cancer (C64-C66, C68), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Kidney cancer incidence statistics by age

Kidney 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 C64-C66, C68.

Last reviewed:

Kidney cancer European age-standardised Open a glossary item(AS) rates for females and males combined increased by 73% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in females and males.

For females, kidney cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 68% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, kidney cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 69% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), kidney cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined increased by 5%. In females AS mortality rates remained stable, and in males rates remained stable.

Kidney Cancer (C64-C66, C68), 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.

Kidney cancer mortality rates have varied between age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1970s.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have decreased by 67%, in 25-49s have decreased by 20%, in 50-59s have decreased by 11%, in 60-69s have increased by 25%, in 70-79s have increased by 83% and in 80+s have increased by 264%.

Kidney Cancer (C64-C66, C68), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

See also

Kidney cancer incidence trends over time

Kidney cancer survival trends over time

Kidney 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, C64-C66, C68.

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 kidney cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 5,200 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 6,500 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Kidney cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by less than 1% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 8 deaths per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes an increase in rates for males and a decrease for females.

For females, kidney cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to fall by 4% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 5 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to rise by 1% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 11 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Kidney cancer (C64-C66, C68), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for kidney 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 C64-C66, C68.

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 kidney 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 28% higher for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 44% higher for females.[1]

Kidney Cancer (C64-C66, C68), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in kidney 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 340 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

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in kidney 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 C64-C66, C68

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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Cancer stats explained

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