Liver cancer incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of liver cancer each year, 2017-2019 average, UK

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage liver cancer is of total cancer cases, 2017-2019, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of liver cancer cases, 2016-2018, UK

Trend over time

Change in liver cancer incidence rates since the early 1990s, UK

 

Liver cancer is the 17th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 2% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, liver cancer is the 20th most common cancer (1% of all new female cancer cases). In males in the UK, it is the 13th most common cancer (2% of all new male cancer cases).

34% of liver cancer cases in the UK are in females, and 66% are in males.

Liver cancer incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rate Open a glossary item) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Scotland and significantly lower than the UK average in Northern Ireland and are similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

For liver cancer, like most cancer types, differences between countries largely reflect risk factor prevalence in years past.

Liver Cancer (C22), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Cases 1,870 205 113 43 2,231
Crude Rate 6.6 7.3 7.1 4.5 6.6
AS Rate 6.5 6.9 6.3 4.8 6.5
AS Rate - 95% LCL 6.3 6.4 5.6 4.0 6.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 6.7 7.5 7.0 5.6 6.6
Male Cases 3,591 429 226 103 4,349
Crude Rate 13.0 16.2 14.6 11.1 13.3
AS Rate 14.8 17.7 14.7 13.8 15.0
AS Rate - 95% LCL 14.5 16.8 13.6 12.3 14.8
AS Rate - 95% UCL 15.1 18.7 15.8 15.4 15.3
Persons Cases 5,461 634 339 145 6,579
Crude Rate 9.8 11.7 10.8 7.7 9.9
AS Rate 10.4 11.9 10.2 8.9 10.4
AS Rate - 95% LCL 10.2 11.3 9.6 8.1 10.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 10.5 12.4 10.9 9.8 10.6

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

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C22.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year more than 4 in 10 new cases (43%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] A small proportion of liver cancers occurs in children.

Age-specific incidence rates rise from around age 40-44, steadily for females and more steeply for males, decrease in the oldest age groups for males. The highest rates are in the 85 to 89 age group for females and males.

Incidence rates are significantly lower for females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 60 to 64, when the age-specific incidence rate is 2.9 times lower for females than males.

Liver Cancer (C22), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

For liver cancer, like most cancer types, incidence increases with age. This largely reflects cell DNA damage accumulating over time. Damage can result from biological processes or from exposure to risk factors. A drop or plateau in incidence in the oldest age groups often indicates reduced diagnostic activity perhaps due to general ill health.

 

See also

Liver cancer mortality statistics by age

Liver cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer incidence statistics by age for all cancers

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C22.

Last reviewed:

Liver cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 177% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was larger in males than in females.

For females, liver cancer AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 152% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019. For males, liver cancer AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 180% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), liver cancer AS incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 42%. In females AS incidence rates increased by 36%, and in males rates increased by 44%.

Liver Cancer (ICD-10 C22), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Persons Population, 1993 to 2019

Liver cancer incidence rates have increased overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 86%, in 50-59s have increased by 132%, in 60-69s have increased by 182%, in 70-79s have increased by 176% and in 80+s have increased by 229%.

Liver Cancer (ICD-10 C22), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

For liver cancer, like most cancer types, incidence trends largely reflect changing prevalence of risk factors and improvements in diagnosis and data recording. Recent incidence trends are influenced by risk factor prevalence in years past, and trends by age group reflect risk factor exposure in birth cohorts.

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2019, ICD-10 C22.

Last reviewed:

In females, the most common specific type of liver cancer in the UK is intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, in males the most common specific type of liver cancer in the UK is hepatocellular carcinoma (2016-2018).[1-4] Variation of incidence by anatomical site may reflect the physical size of each site, and differences in risk factor exposure by site, among other factors.

Download this data

Cases and percentages may not sum due to rounding

See also

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

References

  1. Data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (part of Public Health England), on request through the Office for Data Release, July 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk
  2. Data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, April 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications.
  3. Data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales, March 2021. https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-incidence-in-wales-2002-2018/.
  4. Data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, June 2020. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/

About this data

Data is for UK, 2016-2018, ICD-10 C22. For some cases the specific location of the cancer is not recorded, this may be due to clinical or data recording factors.

Last reviewed:

The number of new liver cancer cases on average each year in the UK is projected to rise from around 7,600 cases in 2023-2025 to around 9,700 cases in 2038-2040.[1]

Liver cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 6% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 12 cases per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a similar increase for males and females.

For females, liver cancer European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates in the UK are projected to rise by 8% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 8 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to rise by 4% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 16 cases per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Liver cancer (C22), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, by Sex, UK, 1993-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Incidence trends over time for liver cancer

Projections of incidence for all cancers combined

Liver cancer risk

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 incidence (1975-2018 for England, Scotland and Wales, 1993-2018 for Northern Ireland).

About this data

Projections are based on incidence data from 1975-2018 (England, Scotland and Wales) and 1993-2018 (Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1993-2018 (observed) and 2019-2040 (projected). Number of new cases and age-standardised rates are presented as annual averages for each 3-year rolling period. ICD-10 codes C22.

Projections are based on observed incidence rates and therefore implicitly include changes in cancer risk factors and diagnosis. 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:

Liver cancer incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates Open a glossary item) in England in females are 78% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are 89% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).[1]

It is estimated that there are around 1,200 more cases of liver cancer each year in England than there would be if every deprivation quintile had the same age-specific crude incidence rates as the least deprived quintile. Around 390 of these cases are in females, and around 810 in males.

Liver Cancer (C22), Estimated Average Number of Excess Cases per Year and European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2013-2017

See also

Data table: Cancer incidence rates and excess cases by cancer type in England

Incidence by deprivation for all cancer types combined

Liver cancer mortality by deprivation  (not directly comparable with incidence by deprivation)

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Scotland

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Wales

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, April 2020. Based on method reported in National Cancer Intelligence Network Cancer by Deprivation in England Incidence, 1996-2010 Mortality, 1997-2011 . Using cancer incidence data 2013-2017 (Public Health England) and population data 2013-2017 (Office for National Statistics) by Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2015 income domain quintile, cancer type, sex, and five-year age band.

About this data

Data is for England, 2013-2017, ICD-10 C22.

Last reviewed:

Cancer stats explained

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Cancer stats explained

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