Long-term monitoring of health inequalities: March 2022 report

Annual update of the long-term monitoring of health inequalities headline indicators.


Cancer incidence rate aged under 75 years

Trends in cancer incidence

In 2019, there were nearly 22,700 new cases of cancer among people aged under 75.

Cancer incidence among people aged under 75 has fluctuated over the time series ranging from 417.5 per 100,000 to 452.7 per 100,000. Despite these fluctuations, cancer incidence in 2019 is the third highest figure in the time series at 447.1 per 100,000.

Table 6.1: Trends in cancer incidence (aged < 75), 1996-2019
Year Number of new cases Target population size Rate per 100,000 (EASR)
1996 18,128 4,754,906 452.7
1997 17,167 4,740,269 427.4
1998 17,109 4,729,975 424.3
1999 16,914 4,721,298 417.5
2000 17,138 4,708,667 420.6
2001 17,147 4,703,661 418.9
2002 17,530 4,701,958 423.6
2003 17,574 4,702,431 420.8
2004 18,159 4,714,233 430.3
2005 17,987 4,735,320 421.9
2006 18,167 4,752,425 423.3
2007 18,775 4,783,452 430.8
2008 19,449 4,811,453 439.7
2009 19,999 4,835,007 446.6
2010 20,015 4,858,058 441.9
2011 20,208 4,888,316 441.3
2012 20,296 4,895,114 436.8
2013 20,598 4,903,074 437.7
2014 21,064 4,914,362 442.4
2015 20,888 4,935,283 433.5
2016 20,980 4,962,391 429.2
2017 21,197 4,976,829 426.5
2018 22,549 4,983,364 449.1
2019 22,698 4,997,455 447.1

Inequalities in cancer incidence, 2019

In 2019, there were 564.2 cases of cancer per 100,000 people in the most deprived areas, compared to 398.2 cases per 100,000 in the least deprived areas.

Figure 6.1 Cancer incidence amongst those aged <75y by Income Employment Index, Scotland 2019 (European Age-Standardised Rates per 100,000)

Cancer incidence is more common in the most deprived areas of Scotland. However, this is not the case for all types of cancer[i]. This is driven in part by variations in screening uptake, leading to socially patterned rises in cancer incidence and, in turn, cancer survival for some types of cancer in the least deprived areas.

As has been the case in previous years, of the most common types of cancer, the absolute gap between most and least deprived areas was largest for cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung (2019 rates were 136.5 and 27.8 per 100,000 population in the most and least deprived areas respectively).

Trends in relative inequalities

Changes in the relative index of inequality over time have been minimal and show no clear pattern, with the rate fluctuating between 0.29 and 0.40. In 2019 the RII was 0.38, the same as at the start of the time series.

Figure 6.2 Scotland 1996-2019

Trends in absolute inequalities

Absolute inequality levels in cancer incidence have fluctuated over time, ranging from 122.1 to 178.2. Rates in both the least and most deprived areas of Scotland have shown no clear pattern. The gap between the most and least deprived decile in 2019 (166.0 per 100,000) was the highest it’s been since 2014 (167.1 per 100,000).

Figure 6.3 Absolute Gap: Cancer incidence <75y, Scotland 1996-2019 (European Age-Standardised Rates per 100,000)

Contact

Email: morag.shepherd@gov.scot

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