Mesothelioma statistics

Cases

New cases of mesothelioma each year, 2017-2019 average, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from mesothelioma, 2017-2019, UK.

 

Survival

Survive mesothelioma for 10 or more years, 2013-2017, England

Prevention

Preventable cases of mesothelioma, UK

  • There are around 2,700 new mesothelioma cases in the UK every year, that's more than 7 every day (2017-2019).
  • Mesothelioma is not among the 20 most common cancers in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, mesothelioma is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 460 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, mesothelioma is the 18th most common cancer, with around 2,200 new cases every year (2017-2019).
  • Incidence rates for mesothelioma in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year almost 6 in 10 (58%) of all new mesothelioma cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1990s, mesothelioma incidence rates have increased by more than half (53%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by almost nine-tenths (88%), and rates in males have increased by more than two-fifths (43%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, mesothelioma incidence rates have decreased by around a tenth (11%) in the UK. Rates in females have decreased by around a tenth (11%), and rates in males have decreased by more than a tenth (12%) (2017-2019).
  • The most common specific location for mesotheliomas in the UK is the pleura (2016-2018).
  • Mesothelioma incidence rates are projected to fall by 27% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 2,400 new cases of mesothelioma every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Mesothelioma incidence rates in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • An estimated 2,900 people who had previously been diagnosed with mesothelioma were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth mesothelioma incidence statistics

  • There are around 2,400 mesothelioma deaths in the UK every year, that's more than 6 every day (2017-2019).
  • Mesothelioma is the 19th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 1% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, mesothelioma is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, with around 410 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, mesothelioma is the 15th most common cause of cancer death, with around 2,000 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for mesothelioma in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year 6 in 10 of all mesothelioma deaths (60%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, mesothelioma mortality rates have increased by more than eight-and-a-half times (765%) in Great Britain. Rates in females have increased by more than seven times (634%), and rates in males have increased by more than eight-and-a-half times (765%).
  • Over the last decade, mesothelioma mortality rates have decreased by around a tenth (9%) in Great Britain. Rates in females have decreased by around a twentieth (4%), and rates in males have decreased by around a tenth (11%).
  • Mesothelioma mortality rates are projected to fall by 29% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 2,400 deaths of mesothelioma every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Mesothelioma in England is not associated with deprivation.

See more in-depth mesothelioma mortality statistics

  • 2 in 100 (1.9%) people diagnosed with mesothelioma in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2013-2017).
  • Mesothelioma five-year survival in England is higher in females than males (2016-2020).
  • Around a quarter (25.8%) of people in England diagnosed with mesothelioma aged 15-54 survive their disease for five years or more, compared with almost 5 in 100 (3.1%) people diagnosed aged 75-99 (2015-2019).
  • 5 in 100 people in England diagnosed with mesothelioma in the least deprived (4.2%) and most deprived (4.9%) groups survive their disease for five years or more (2015-2019).
  • Five-year relative survival for mesothelioma is below the European average in England and Scotland but similar to the European average in Wales. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • For mesothelioma, 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).
  • 1 in 960 UK females and 1 in 220 UK males will be diagnosed with mesothelioma in their lifetime (born in 1961).
  • 94% of mesothelioma cases in the UK are preventable.
  • 94% of mesothelioma cases in the UK are caused by workplace exposures.

See more in-depth mesothelioma 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.