Prostate cancer incidence statistics

Cases

New cases of prostate cancer, 2017-2019, UK

 

Proportion of all cases

Percentage prostate cancer is of total cancer cases, 2017-2019 average, UK

 

Age

Peak rate of prostate cancer cases, 2017-2019, UK

 

Trend over time

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

 

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the UK, accounting for 28% of all new cancer cases in males (2017-2019). In females and males combined, prostate cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 14% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019).[1-4]

Prostate cancer incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rate Open a glossary item) for males are significantly higher than the UK average in England and significantly lower than the UK average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rates in Wales are similar to the UK average.

For prostate cancer, there are few established risk factors therefore differences between countries largely reflect differences in diagnosis and data recording.

Prostate Cancer (C61), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Male Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Male Cases 46,825 3,983 2,996 1,288 55,093
Crude Rate 169.3 150.3 193.6 139.1 168.1
AS Rate 192.8 163.8 194.5 172.5 189.9
AS Rate - 95% LCL 191.8 160.8 190.4 167.1 189.0
AS Rate - 95% UCL 193.9 166.7 198.5 177.9 190.8
Persons Cases 46,825 3,983 2,996 1,288 55,093
Crude Rate 83.7 73.2 95.4 68.5 82.9
AS Rate 89.7 74.3 90.7 79.1 88.1
AS Rate - 95% LCL 89.2 73.0 88.9 76.6 87.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 90.1 75.6 92.6 81.6 88.6
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 C61.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year around a third of new cases (34%) were in males aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Age-specific incidence rates rise steeply from around age 45-49 and peak in the 75-79 age group then drop slightly. The highest rates are in the 75 to 79 age group.

Prostate Cancer (C61), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Male Population, UK, 2017-2019

For prostate 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.

The age distribution of prostate cancer cases probably partly reflects the age groups in which prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) are carried out.

See also

Prostate cancer mortality statistics by age

Prostate 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 C61.

Last reviewed:

Prostate cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for males increased by 53% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.[1-4]

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), prostate cancer AS incidence rates for males increased by 9%.

Prostate Cancer (ICD-10 C61), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Male Population, 1993 to 2019

Prostate cancer incidence rates have increased overall in some broad age groups in males in the UK since the early 1990s, but have decreased or remained stable in others[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have increased by 622%, in 50-59s have increased by 348%, in 60-69s have increased by 163%, in 70-79s have increased by 53% and in 80+s have decreased by 26%.

Prostate Cancer (ICD-10 C61), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Male Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

Prostate cancer incidence trends clearly reflect incidental detection of asymptomatic disease through transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing. PSA testing was introduced in the late 1980s and an estimated 10-20% of men in Europe have had the test.

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 C61.

Last reviewed:

The number of new prostate cancer cases in males on average each year in the UK is projected to rise from around 62,500 cases in 2023-2025 to around 85,100 cases in 2038-2040.[1]

Prostate cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 15% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 223 cases per 100,000 males on average each year by 2038-2040.[1]

Prostate cancer (C61), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, UK, 1993-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Incidence trends over time for prostate cancer

Projections of incidence for all cancers combined

Prostate 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 1975-2017 (England, Scotland and Wales) and 1993-2017 (Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1993-2017 (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 C61.

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:

Prostate cancer incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates Open a glossary item) in England in males are 17% lower in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).[1]

It is estimated that there are around 3,100 fewer cases of prostate 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.

Prostate Cancer (C61), Estimated Average Number of Fewer Cases per Year, by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2013-2017

Prostate Cancer (C61), 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

Prostate 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 C61.

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.