High cancer mortality rates in the elderly in the UK

Cancer is largely a disease of older individuals. We compared UK cancer mortality rates with those for other countries to assess progress.

Death details were obtained from the WHO Mortality Database for the UK, the USA and 11 European countries. Mortality rates were calculated for the age groups 55-64, 65-74, 75-84 and ≥85 years. Trends between 1995-97 and 2003-05 were determined. The number of excess cancer deaths in the UK was calculated by applying the age-specific mortality rates observed in other regions to the UK.

For all cancers combined, UK rates for 2003-05 in those aged ≥75 years were 11-31% higher than in other regions. From 1995-97 to 2003-05, UK rates decreased by 16-17% in those aged <75 years, but increased by 2% in those ≥85 years compared with decreases of 4-16% for the other geographic areas. More than 14,000 cancer deaths in the UK in those aged ≥75 years would be avoided each year if UK mortality rates were identical to those in the USA.

The UK is making poor progress in controlling cancer in older age groups. The gap in mortality rates between the UK and other countries and between old and young in the UK is widening.