Head and neck cancers statistics

Cases

New cases of head and neck cancer each year, 2017-2019 average, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from head and neck cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Survival

Survive head and neck cancers for 10 or more years, 2009-13, England

Prevention

Preventable cases of head and neck cancer, UK

  • There are around 12,800 new head and neck cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 35 every day (2017-2019).
  • Head and neck cancer is the 8th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 3% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, head and neck cancer is the 13th most common cancer, with around 4,000 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, head and neck cancer is the 5th most common cancer, with around 8,800 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for head and neck cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 65 to 69 (2017-2019).
  • Each year more than a fifth (22%) of all new head and neck cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1990s, head and neck cancer incidence rates have increased by more than a third (35%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by almost half (47%), and rates in males have increased by almost a quarter (23%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, head and neck cancer incidence rates have increased by around a seventh (15%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by around a sixth (18%), and rates in males have increased by around a tenth (11%) (2017-2019).
  • Head and neck cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 3% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 16,300 new cases of head and neck cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for statistics on stage at diagnosis for head & neck cancers.
  • The most common specific location for head and neck cancers in the UK is the tongue (2016-2018).
  • Head and neck cancer incidence rates in England in females are 64% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 101% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Around 2,300 cases of head and neck cancer each year in England are linked with deprivation (around 520 in females and around 1,800 in males).
  • Incidence rates for head and neck cancer are lower in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, and in people of mixed or multiple ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in England. However, incidence rates are higher compared with the White ethnic group in females in the Asian ethnic group (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 62,500 people who had previously been diagnosed with head and neck cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.
See more in-depth head and neck cancers incidence statistics

  • There are around 4,100 head and neck cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's 11 every day (2017-2019).
  • Head and neck cancer is the 15th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 2% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, head and neck cancer is the 17th most common cause of cancer death, with around 1,200 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, head and neck cancer is the 10th most common cause of cancer death, with around 2,900 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for head and neck cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2017-2019).
  • Each year more than a third of all head and neck cancer deaths (36%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, head and neck cancer mortality rates have decreased by around a tenth (9%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by a seventh (14%), and rates in males have decreased by a fifth (20%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, head and neck cancer mortality rates have increased by around a seventh (15%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by more than a tenth (12%), and rates in males have increased by around a seventh (15%) (2017-2019).
  • Head and neck cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 12% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 6,700 deaths of head and neck cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Overall, head and neck cancer deaths in England are more common in people living in the most deprived areas.
See more in-depth head and neck cancers cancers mortality statistics

  • Between 19% and 59% of people diagnosed with head and neck cancers in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2009-2013).
  • Head and neck cancers ten-year survival in England is generally similar in females and males, though sex differences vary by subtype (2009-2013).
  • Salivary glands cancer survival has the widest gap between age groups among head and neck cancer subtypes: 9 in 10 people in England diagnosed with salivary glands cancer aged 15-49 survive their disease for five years or more, compared with 5 in 10 people diagnosed aged 70-89 (2009-2013).
  • Five-year relative survival for most head and neck cancer types is similar to or above the European average in the UK. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • For head and neck cancer, like other cancer sites, survival trends reflect a combination of changes in treatment and stage distribution. These factors themselves can vary by age, sex and deprivation.
  • Further survival statistics by stage can be found on the Early Diagnosis Data Hub and information on treatments for cancer can be found here.
  • Further one-, five- and ten-year survival statistics can be found on the Cancer Statistics Dashboard.

  • A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
  • Nearly 1 in 96 UK females and 1 in 43 UK males will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer in their lifetime (born in 1961).
  • 46-88% of head and neck cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
  • 46% of oral cavity cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
  • 88% of pharynx cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
  • 73% of larynx cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
  • 64% of laryngeal cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
  • 37% of pharyngeal cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
  • 25% of nasopharyngeal cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
  • 17% of oral cavity cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
  • Certain occupational exposures cause laryngeal cancer.
  • A diet high in fruit and vegetables may protect against head and neck cancer – insufficient fruit and vegetables intake is linked to an estimated 56% of oral cancer cases, and an estimated 45% of laryngeal cancer cases in the UK.
  • Environmental tobacco smoke and solar radiation may relate to higher risk of some oral cancer types, but evidence is unclear.
  • HPV infection, environmental tobacco smoke, and certain medical conditions may relate to higher laryngeal cancer risk, but evidence is unclear.
See more in-depth head and neck cancer risk statistics

See the interactive cancer treatment online tool produced by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) in partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK). This presents, for the first time, population-based statistics on chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical tumour resections in England, by demographic factors and geography.

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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.