Thyroid cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from thyroid cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Proportion of all deaths

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

Age

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

 

Trend over time

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

Thyroid cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, thyroid cancer is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death (less than 1% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death (less than 1% of all male cancer deaths).

57% of thyroid cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 43% are in males (2017-2019).

Thyroid cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) in the UK are not significantly different between females and males (2017-2019).

Thyroid 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 thyroid cancer, mortality rates do not vary between UK constituent nations however incidence rates do vary between the UK constituent nations.

Thyroid Cancer (C73), 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 196 22 9 5 233
Crude Rate 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.7
AS Rate 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.7
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.6
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.7
Male Deaths 144 10 11 7 172
Crude Rate 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.5
AS Rate 0.6 0.4 0.7 1.0 0.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.6 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.6
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.7 0.6 1.0 1.5 0.7
Persons Deaths 341 33 20 12 405
Crude Rate 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6
AS Rate 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6
AS Rate - 95% UCL 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.0 0.7

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

See also

Thyroid cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Thyroid 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, C73.

Last reviewed:

Thyroid 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 6 in 10 deaths (55%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for thyroid cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 40-44 and more steeply from around age 55-59. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for both females and males. Mortality rates are similar between females and males in all age groups.

Thyroid Cancer (C73), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Thyroid cancer incidence statistics by age

Thyroid cancer survival statistics by age

Thyroid cancer mortality 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 C73.

Last reviewed:

Thyroid cancer age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item for females and males combined decreased by 48% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The decrease was larger in females than in males.

For females, thyroid cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 55% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, thyroid cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 20% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

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

Thyroid Cancer (C73), 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.

Thyroid cancer mortality rates have decreased overall in most broad age groups in females 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 decreased by 59%, in 50-59s have decreased by 73%, in 60-69s have decreased by 62%, in 70-79s have decreased by 56% and in 80+s have decreased by 43%.

Thyroid Cancer (C73), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

Thyroid cancer mortality rates have remained stable overall in most broad age groups in males in the UK since the early 1970s, but have decreased in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have remained stable, in 50-59s have decreased by 60%, in 60-69s have remained stable, in 70-79s have remained stable and in 80+s have remained stable.

Thyroid Cancer (C73), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Male Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

See also

Thyroid cancer incidence trends over time

Thyroid 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, C73.

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 thyroid cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 480 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 640 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Thyroid cancer mortality rates are projected to rise by 6% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 1 death per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes an increase in rates for females and no change in the rates for males

For females, thyroid cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to rise by 10% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 1 death per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to fall by less than 1% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 1 death per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Thyroid cancer (C73), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for thyroid 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 C73.

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 no evidence for an association between thyroid cancer mortality and deprivation for either males or females in England.[1] England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised Open a glossary item mortality rates are similar for both males and females living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.[1]

Thyroid Cancer (C73), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in thyroid cancer mortality between people living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011.[1]

See also

Find out more about the definitions and evidence for this data

Deprivation gradient for cancer mortality

Deprivation gradient in thyroid 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 C73

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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