Liver cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from liver cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Proportion of all deaths

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

Age

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

Trend over time

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

Liver cancer is the 8th 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, liver cancer is the 10th most common cause of cancer death (3% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 8th most common cause of cancer death (4% of all male cancer deaths).

39% of liver cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 61% are in males (2017-2019).

Liver 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).

Liver 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 liver cancer, mortality differences between countries largely reflect differences in incidence.

Liver Cancer (C22), 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 1,869 219 123 61 2,272
Crude Rate 6.6 7.9 7.7 6.4 6.8
AS Rate 6.5 7.4 6.8 6.8 6.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 6.3 6.8 6.1 5.8 6.4
AS Rate - 95% UCL 6.6 8.0 7.5 7.8 6.7
Male Deaths 2,889 379 201 89 3,557
Crude Rate 10.4 14.3 13.0 9.6 10.9
AS Rate 12.1 16.1 13.3 12.4 12.5
AS Rate - 95% LCL 11.8 15.2 12.2 11.0 12.3
AS Rate - 95% UCL 12.3 17.0 14.3 13.9 12.7
Persons Deaths 4,758 598 324 150 5,830
Crude Rate 8.5 11.0 10.3 8.0 8.8
AS Rate 9.0 11.3 9.8 9.4 9.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 8.9 10.7 9.2 8.5 9.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 9.2 11.8 10.4 10.2 9.4

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, C22.

Last reviewed:

Liver 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 half of deaths (50%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for liver cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 45-49 and more steeply from around age 60-64. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for females and the 85 to 89 age group for males. Mortality rates are significantly lower in females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 50 to 54, when the age-specific mortality rate is 2.3 times lower in females than males.

Liver Cancer (C22), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons 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 C22.

Last reviewed:

Liver cancer age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item rates for females and males combined increased by 228% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in females and males.

For females, liver cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 214% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, liver cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 222% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), liver cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined increased by 44%. In females AS mortality rates increased by 45%, and in males rates increased by 42%.

Liver Cancer (C22), 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.

Liver cancer mortality rates have increased overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined 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 increased by 61%, in 50-59s have increased by 103%, in 60-69s have increased by 214%, in 70-79s have increased by 245% and in 80+s have increased by 337%.

Liver Cancer (C22), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons 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, C22.

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 liver cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 6,900 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 9,500 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Liver cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 10% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 11 deaths 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 mortality rates in the UK are projected to rise by 4% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 7 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to rise by 13% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 15 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Liver cancer (C22), 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 liver 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 C22.

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 a strong association between liver 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 100% higher for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 72% higher for females.[1]

Liver Cancer (C22), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in liver 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 600 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

Find out more about the counting and coding of this data

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in liver 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

Reference

  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 C22

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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