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25 year trends in cancer incidence and mortality among adults aged 35-69 years in the UK, 1993-2018: retrospective secondary analysis

Jon Shelton, Ewa Zotow, L. Smith, Shane A. Johnson, C. Thomson, Amar Ahmad, L. Murdock, Diana Nagarwalla et al.

British medical journal, 2024

80 citations

Abstract

Abstract Objective To examine and interpret trends in UK cancer incidence and mortality for all cancers combined and for the most common cancer sites in adults aged 35-69 years. Design Retrospective secondary data analysis. Data sources Cancer registration data, cancer mortality and national population data from the Office for National Statistics, Public Health Wales, Public Health Scotland, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, NHS England, and the General Register Office for Northern Ireland. Setting 23 cancer sites were included in the analysis in the UK. Participants Men and women aged 35-69 years diagnosed with or who died from cancer between 1993 to 2018. Main outcome measures Change in cancer incidence and mortality age standardised rates over time. Results The number of cancer cases in this age range rose by 57% for men (from 55 014 cases registered in 1993 to 86 297 in 2018) and by 48% for women (60 187 to 88 970) with age standardised rates showing average annual increases of 0.8% in both sexes. The increase in incidence was predominantly driven by increases in prostate (male) and breast (female) cancers. Without these two sites, all cancer trends in age standardised incidence rates were relatively stable. Trends for a small number of less common cancers showed concerning increases in incidence rates, for example, in melanoma skin, liver, oral, and kidney cancers. The number of cancer deaths decreased over the 25 year period, by 20% in men (from 32 878 to 26 322) and…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a secondary / pooled analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.

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