Mesothelioma mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from mesothelioma, 2017-2019, UK.

Proportion of all deaths

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

 

Age

Peak rate of mesothelioma deaths, 2017-2019, UK

 

Trend over time

Mesothelioma mortality rates have increased by 887% since the early 1970s, GB

Mesothelioma is the 19th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 1% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, mesothelioma is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death (less than 1% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 15th most common cause of cancer death (2% of all male cancer deaths).

17% of mesothelioma deaths in the UK are in females, and 83% are in males (2017-2019).

Mesothelioma mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) in the UK are significantly lower in females than in males (2017-2019).

Mesothelioma mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are significantly lower than the UK average in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and similar to the UK average in England.

For mesothelioma, mortality differences between countries largely reflect differences in incidence.

Mesothelioma (C45), 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 354 25 20 8 406
Crude Rate 1.3 0.9 1.3 0.8 1.2
AS Rate 1.2 0.8 1.1 0.9 1.2
AS Rate - 95% LCL 1.2 0.7 0.8 0.5 1.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 1.3 1.0 1.4 1.2 1.2
Male Deaths 1,732 130 91 35 1,988
Crude Rate 6.3 4.9 5.9 3.8 6.1
AS Rate 7.4 5.8 6.0 5.0 7.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 7.2 5.2 5.3 4.0 7.0
AS Rate - 95% UCL 7.6 6.3 6.8 5.9 7.3
Persons Deaths 2,086 154 111 43 2,394
Crude Rate 3.7 2.8 3.5 2.3 3.6
AS Rate 4.0 2.9 3.3 2.7 3.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 3.9 2.7 3.0 2.2 3.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 4.1 3.2 3.7 3.1 3.9

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

See also

Myeloma incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Mesothelioma 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, C45.

Last reviewed:

Mesothelioma 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 6 in 10 deaths (60%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for mesothelioma in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise from around age 55-59, steadily in females and steeply in males, and drop in the oldest age groups. The highest rates are in the 85 to 89 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 90+, when the age-specific mortality rate is 8.9 times lower in females than males.

Mesothelioma (C45), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Mesothelioma incidence 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 C45.

Last reviewed:

Mesothelioma European age-standardised (AS) mortality rates for females and males combined increased by 765% in Great Britain between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-3] The increase was larger in males than in females.

For females, mesothelioma AS mortality rates in Great Britain increased by 634% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, mesothelioma AS mortality rates in Great Britain increased by 765% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in Great Britain (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), mesothelioma AS mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 9%.[1-3] In females AS mortality rates decrased by 4%, and in males rates decreased by 11%.

Mesothelioma (C45), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, Great Britain, 1971-2019

Trends in mesothelioma mortality correlate with the rise and fall of asbestos exposure in the UK in the 20th century.[4]

Mesothelioma mortality rates have varied between age groups in females in Great Britain since the early 1970s.[1-3] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have remained stable, in 50-59s have remained stable, in 60-69s have increased by 254%, in 70-79s have increased by 1505%, and in 80+s have increased by 1636%.

Mesothelioma (C45), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, By Age, Females, Great Britain, 1971-2019

Mesothelioma mortality rates have increased overall in some adult age groups in males in Great Britain since the early 1970s, but have remained stable or decreased in others.[1-3] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have decreased by 70%, in 50-59s have remained stable, in 60-69s have increased by 297%, in 70-79s have increased by 1343%, and in 80+s have increased by 2659%.

Mesothelioma (C45), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Population, By Age, Males, Great Britain, 1971-2019

See also

Mesothelioma incidence trends over time

Mesothelioma risk statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. Health and Safety Executive Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain 1968-2019. MESO02-Death certificates for males mentioning mesothelioma by year of death and 5-year age group. Accessed May 2022
  2. Health and Safety Executive, Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain 1968-2019. MESO03-Death certificates for females mentioning mesothelioma by year of death and 5-year age group. Accessed May 2022
  3. 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.
  4. Health and Safety Executive. Mesothelioma Mortality by Geographical Area: Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain 1981-2015. HSE; 2017.
  5. McElvenny DM, Darnton AJ, Price MJ, Hodgson JT. Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain from 1968 to 2001. Occup Med (Lond) 2005;55(2):79-87

About this data

Data is for Great Britain, 1971-2019, C45.

Mortality trends over time data are taken from the Health and Safety Executive's record of death certificates mentioning mesothelioma [1-2], as it is the most reliable source of information on mesothelioma mortality in past decades.[4].

Last reviewed:

It is projected that the average number of deaths from mesothelioma in the UK every year will fall from around 2,600 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 2,400 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Mesothelioma mortality rates are projected to fall by 29% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 3 deaths per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a larger decrease for males than for females.

For females, mesothelioma European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to fall by 22% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 1 death per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to fall by 32% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 5 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Mesothelioma (C45), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for mesothelioma

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 C33-C34.

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 no evidence for an association between mesothelioma mortality and deprivation for either males or females in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised mortality rates are similar for both males and females living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.[1]

Mesothelioma (C45), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient  in mesothelioma mortality between people living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011.[1]

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in Mesothelioma 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 C45

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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