Credit: National Cancer
Institute-Mathews Media Group
Deaths from leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are on the decline in the UK, but these malignancies are still among the leading causes of cancer death, a new analysis suggests.
Leukemia and NHL are among the 10 most common causes of cancer death for men and women in the UK, according to data from 2011.
But deaths from these malignancies have decreased from the number of deaths seen in the early 2000s.
These findings, published on the Cancer Research UK website, are similar to the results of a recent report on cancer deaths in the US.
The Cancer Research UK analysis showed that the death rate from cancer has dropped by more than a fifth since the 1990s.
In 1990, 220 in every 100,000 people died of cancer. But by 2011, the death rate had fallen 22%—to 170 per 100,000 people. The cancer mortality rate fell by 20% for women and 26% for men.
“Today, cancer is not the death sentence people once believed it to be,” said Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK chief executive.
“As these new figures show, mortality rates from this much-feared disease are dropping significantly . . . . But while we’re heading in the right direction, too many lives are still being lost to the disease, highlighting how much more work there is to do.”
NHL and leukemia stats
The analysis showed that, in men, the 3-year mortality rate for NHL decreased by 16% from 2000-2002 to 2009-2012. And the 3-year mortality rate for leukemia decreased by 6%.
In women, the 3-year mortality rate for NHL decreased by 18% from 2000-2002 to 2009-2012. And the 3-year mortality rate for leukemia decreased by 9%.
But the 2011 data showed that both types of cancer are among the 10 most common causes of cancer death in both men and women.
Among women, 2156 patients died of NHL (7th leading cause of cancer death), and 1994 patients died of leukemia (8th leading cause).
Among men, 2609 patients died of leukemia (8th leading cause of cancer death), and 2490 died of NHL (10th leading cause).
For more details on cancer mortality, including projections up to the year 2030, visit the Cancer Research UK website.
