Incidence
This section presents information about the incidence of haematological malignancies.
Click here to skip to the incidence table.
Incidence Information
Traditionally descriptive statistics are presented for four main blood cancers: non-Hodgkin lymphoma,
leukaemia, myeloma and Hodgkin lymphoma. Overall 23,123 of the 289,003 new cancers registered in the UK in
2005 were coded to one of these four sites. In both men and women haematological malignancies were the fourth
most common cancer grouping, accounting for 9% of cancers in men and 7% in women. UK cancer patterns are
broadly similar to those seen across the rest of Europe and other more economically developed regions of the world.
Classification of haematological malignancies has changed markedly in recent decades, and within HMRN all diagnoses
are centrally coded according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘International Classification of Diseases
for Oncology’ third edition (ICD-O3). This is the internationally recognized standard classification for all
haematological malignancies employed in clinical practice. The frequent use of such broad site-based divisions masks
the diversity and complexity of haematological cancers and also underestimates their frequency since WHO ICD-O3
includes neoplasms that are not routinely counted by population-based cancer registries.
Importantly, in addition to leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, HMRN collects data on myeloproliferative neoplasms,
monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance, and lymphoproliferative disorders
not otherwise specified. Overall, these account for around a third of all haematological neoplasms registered –
raising, for example, the estimated underlying UK annual incidence from around 23,000 to 33,000.
Haematological malignancies are rare in children and young adults, but become more common as age increases.
The graphs below use HMRN data to estimate the age and sex distributions for the UK as a whole. The first graph
includes all haematological neoplasms and the second excludes myeloproliferative neoplasms, monoclonal B-cell
lymphocytosis, monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance, and lymphoproliferative disorders not otherwise
specified. The age and sex incidence patterns are similar.
Incidence QuickStats
More information about the individual disorders can be found by following the links in the table below.
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61.4
|
70.6
|
52.8
|
1.3
|
70
|
34770
|
48.5
|
61.4
|
38.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.8
|
16.8
|
11.0
|
1.5
|
69
|
7840
|
11.2
|
14.9
|
8.2
|
|
|
0.9
|
1.1
|
0.7
|
1.6
|
58
|
530
|
0.8
|
1.1
|
0.6
|
|
|
0.7
|
0.9
|
0.5
|
1.9
|
76
|
390
|
0.5
|
0.7
|
0.3
|
|
|
4.1
|
4.6
|
3.6
|
1.3
|
70
|
2340
|
3.3
|
4.1
|
2.7
|
|
|
0.9
|
1.0
|
0.8
|
1.2
|
11
|
520
|
1.0
|
1.1
|
0.9
|
|
|
6.5
|
8.4
|
4.8
|
1.8
|
71
|
3680
|
5.0
|
7.2
|
3.2
|
|
|
0.3
|
0.5
|
0.1
|
3.8
|
65
|
170
|
0.3
|
0.4
|
0.1
|
|
|
0.3
|
0.4
|
0.2
|
1.9
|
20
|
170
|
0.3
|
0.4
|
0.2
|
|
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
0.9
|
74
|
220
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.9
|
18.7
|
15.1
|
1.2
|
69
|
9580
|
13.6
|
16.5
|
11.4
|
|
|
0.7
|
0.7
|
0.7
|
1.1
|
69
|
400
|
0.6
|
0.7
|
0.5
|
|
|
2.4
|
2.9
|
2.0
|
1.5
|
72
|
1380
|
1.9
|
2.5
|
1.4
|
|
|
3.1
|
3.0
|
3.3
|
0.9
|
64
|
1800
|
2.7
|
2.7
|
2.7
|
|
|
0.8
|
1.1
|
0.6
|
1.9
|
73
|
470
|
0.6
|
0.9
|
0.4
|
|
|
8.1
|
8.7
|
7.5
|
1.2
|
70
|
4580
|
6.4
|
7.6
|
5.5
|
|
|
0.4
|
0.5
|
0.2
|
3.1
|
47
|
200
|
0.3
|
0.5
|
0.2
|
|
|
1.0
|
1.2
|
0.8
|
1.5
|
64
|
580
|
0.9
|
1.1
|
0.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.0
|
3.5
|
2.6
|
1.4
|
41
|
1740
|
2.9
|
3.4
|
2.5
|
|
|
0.3
|
0.5
|
0.2
|
2.5
|
44
|
190
|
0.3
|
0.5
|
0.2
|
|
|
2.7
|
3.0
|
2.4
|
1.3
|
41
|
1550
|
2.6
|
2.9
|
2.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.1
|
8.5
|
5.8
|
1.5
|
72
|
3990
|
5.3
|
7.2
|
3.9
|
|
|
6.5
|
7.7
|
5.4
|
1.4
|
73
|
3680
|
4.9
|
6.5
|
3.6
|
|
|
0.6
|
0.8
|
0.3
|
2.2
|
69
|
320
|
0.5
|
0.7
|
0.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.8
|
5.3
|
2.5
|
2.1
|
75
|
2150
|
2.7
|
4.2
|
1.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.8
|
17.9
|
15.8
|
1.1
|
72
|
9460
|
12.8
|
15.3
|
11.0
|
|
|
6.0
|
5.7
|
6.3
|
0.9
|
71
|
3390
|
4.7
|
4.9
|
4.5
|
|
|
2.5
|
2.8
|
2.3
|
1.2
|
71
|
1430
|
1.9
|
2.4
|
1.6
|
|
|
6.5
|
7.5
|
5.5
|
1.4
|
72
|
3660
|
4.9
|
6.3
|
4.0
|
|
|
1.8
|
1.9
|
1.6
|
1.2
|
76
|
990
|
1.2
|
1.6
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
HMRN 2004-10
2
Estimated by applying HMRN age and sex specific rates to 2001 UK population census strata
3
Age standardised rates (European)