Melanoma skin cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from melanoma skin cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Proportion of all deaths

Percentage melanoma skin cancer contributes to total cancer deaths, 2017-2019, UK

Age

Peak rate of melanoma skin cancer deaths, 2017-2019, UK

 

Trend over time

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

Melanoma skin cancer is the 20th 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, melanoma skin cancer is the 18th most common cause of cancer death (1% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 17th most common cause of cancer death (2% of all male cancer deaths).

42% of melanoma skin cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 58% are in males (2017-2019).

Melanoma skin 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).

Melanoma skin cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

For melanoma skin cancer, mortality rates do not vary between UK constituent nations however incidence rates do vary between the UK constituent nations.

Melanoma Skin Cancer (C43), 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 816 83 58 28 984
Crude Rate 2.9 3.0 3.6 2.9 2.9
AS Rate 2.8 2.8 3.3 3.1 2.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 2.7 2.5 2.8 2.4 2.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 2.9 3.2 3.8 3.7 3.0
Male Deaths 1,148 98 78 33 1,357
Crude Rate 4.2 3.7 5.0 3.6 4.1
AS Rate 4.9 4.3 5.3 4.6 4.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 4.7 3.8 4.7 3.7 4.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 5.0 4.8 6.0 5.5 5.0
Persons Deaths 1,964 180 136 61 2,341
Crude Rate 3.5 3.3 4.3 3.3 3.5
AS Rate 3.7 3.4 4.2 3.8 3.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.2 3.6
AS Rate - 95% UCL 3.8 3.7 4.6 4.3 3.8

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

See also

Skin cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Skin 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, C43.

Last reviewed:

Melanoma skin 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 almost half of deaths (48%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for melanoma skin cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 30-34 and more steeply from around age 60-64. 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 90+, when the age-specific mortality rate is 2 times lower in females than males.

Melanoma Skin Cancer (C43), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Skin cancer incidence statistics by age

Skin 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 C43.

Last reviewed:

Melanoma skin cancer age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item) rates for females and males combined increased by 141% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was larger in males than in females.

For females, melanoma skin cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 76% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, melanoma skin cancer AS mortality rates in the UK increased by 219% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), melanoma skin cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined remained stable. In females AS mortality rates decreased by 9%, and in males rates remained stable.

Melanoma Skin Cancer (C43), 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.

Melanoma skin cancer mortality rates have increased overall in some broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1970s, but have decreased in others.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have decreased by 80%, in 25-49s have decreased by 25%, in 50-59s have increased by 31%, in 60-69s have increased by 149%, in 70-79s have increased by 260% and in 80+s have increased by 447%.

Melanoma Skin Cancer (C43), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

See also

Skin cancer incidence trends over time

Skin cancer survival trends over time

Skin 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, C43.

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 melanoma skin cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 2,600 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 2,800 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Melanoma skin cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 12% 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 similar decrease for males and females.

For females, melanoma skin cancer European age standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to fall by 13% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 2 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to fall by 12% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 4 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Melanoma skin cancer (C43), 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 melanoma skin 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 C43.

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 melanoma skin cancer mortality and deprivation in both males and females in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are 37% lower for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 35% lower for females.[1] Melanoma skin cancer is one of the few cancers where mortality rates are lower for more deprived males and females compared to less deprived males and females.

Melanoma skin cancer (C43), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in melanoma skin cancer mortality between people living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011.[1] It is estimated that there would have been around 270 more 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 definitions and evidence for this data

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in melanoma skin 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 C43

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:

Cancer stats explained

See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

Cancer stats explained

Citation

You are welcome to reuse this Cancer Research UK content for your own work.
Credit us as authors by referencing Cancer Research UK as the primary source. Suggested styles are:

Web content: Cancer Research UK, full URL of the page, Accessed [month] [year].
Publications: Cancer Research UK ([year of publication]), Name of publication, Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when reused unaltered): Credit: Cancer Research UK.
Graphics (when recreated with differences): Based on a graphic created by Cancer Research UK.

When Cancer Research UK material is used for commercial reasons, we encourage a donation to our life-saving research.
Send a cheque payable to Cancer Research UK to: Cancer Research UK, 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ or

Donate online

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.