Data on cancer diagnoses is provided to UK Biobank by the NHS Digital and Public Health England for participants residing in England and Wales, and the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) for participants residing in Scotland. Cancer registries acquire information on cancer diagnoses from a variety of sources including hospitals, cancer centres and treatment centres, hospices and nursing homes, private hospitals, cancer screening programmes, other cancer registers, general practices, death certificates, and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and Cancer Waiting Time (CWT) data. (In many instances, more than one source of information is available to cancer registries from a single organisation, for example hospital patient information systems, pathology laboratories, medical records departments and radiotherapy databases). This report details the number of prevalent and incident cases of cancer within the UK Biobank cohort, as identified through linkage to national cancer registries.
The aim of this report is to provide researchers with an indication of the numbers of prevalent and incident cases of cancers in the UK Biobank Resource, in order to guide timings for submitting cancer-related research applications. Please See Table 1.
If a participant was diagnosed with cancer before and after baseline, only the prevalent case is counted.
If a participant was diagnosed several times with cancer in the same site, only the first one is counted.
If a participant was diagnosed with cancer in different sites on different dates, only the first one is counted.
If a participant was diagnosed with cancer in different sites on the same date, both are counted. This occurs for (N = 44 individuals with prevalent cancers and 0 individuals with incident cancers).
This summary only includes cancers identified from the cancer registry (cancer records from self-reported cancer, primary care records, hospital records are not included here).
The numbers of cases of cancers is provided by broad cancer groupings (according to ICD10 or ICD9 codes), as well as the numbers for individual sub-sites of most interest to researchers. Please contact the Access Team if you wish to enquire about the numbers of cases of a specific cancer site (i.e. for ICD10/ICD9 codes not included in this report).
The earliest record of cancer diagnosis in the UK Biobank cohort is 20 September 1957. This is the earliest date for which cancer registry data is available and hence cancers diagnosed prior to this date are not included here.
The numbers of cases of benign neoplasms may be under-estimated because not all benign neoplasms are routinely registered by cancer registries.
The contents of this document will be updated periodically, as and when follow-up data is incorporated into the UK Biobank Resource.
Type | Group | Site | Prevalent | Incident |
---|---|---|---|---|
Malignant | Oral cancer | Total | 527 | 858 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Lip | 25 | 21 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Base Of Tongue | 41 | 120 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Other And Unspecified Parts Of Tongue | 112 | 143 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Gum | 16 | 54 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Floor Of Mouth | 30 | 29 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Palate | 33 | 45 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Other And Unspecified Parts Of Mouth | 27 | 52 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Parotid Gland | 67 | 52 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Other And Unspecified Major Salivary Glands | 17 | 21 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Tonsil | 99 | 215 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Oropharynx | 11 | 29 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Nasopharynx | 25 | 23 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Pyriform Sinus | 12 | 25 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Hypopharynx | 3 | 18 |
Malignant | Oral cancer | Other And Ill-Defined Sites In The Lip, Oral Cavity And Pharynx | 9 | 11 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Total | 2842 | 8520 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Oesophagus | 137 | 857 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Stomach | 144 | 586 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Small Intestine | 54 | 204 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Colon | 1334 | 3253 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Rectosigmoid Junction | 234 | 284 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Rectum | 725 | 1364 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Anus And Anal Canal | 79 | 159 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Liver And Intrahepatic Bile Ducts | 36 | 502 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Gallbladder | 7 | 104 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Other And Unspecified Parts Of Biliary Tract | 33 | 144 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Pancreas | 54 | 1037 |
Malignant | Gastrointestinal cancer | Other And Ill-Defined Digestive Organs | 5 | 26 |
Malignant | Lung cancer | Total | 308 | 3344 |
Malignant | Lung cancer | Trachea | 4 | 4 |
Malignant | Lung cancer | Bronchus And Lung | 304 | 3340 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Total | 225 | 243 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Nasal Cavity And Middle Ear | 17 | 33 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Accessory Sinuses | 8 | 15 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Larynx | 181 | 150 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Thymus | 12 | 28 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Heart, Mediastinum And Pleura | 7 | 14 |
Malignant | Respiratory cancer | Other And Ill-Defined Sites In The Respiratory System And Intrathoracic Organs | 0 | 3 |
Malignant | Bone cancer | Total | 66 | 42 |
Malignant | Bone cancer | Bone And Articular Cartilage Of Limbs | 36 | 24 |
Malignant | Bone cancer | Bone And Articular Cartilage Of Other And Unspecified Sites | 30 | 18 |
Malignant | Skin cancer | Total | 1978 | 2217 |
Malignant | Skin cancer | Malignant Melanoma Of Skin | 1978 | 2217 |
Malignant | Mesothelioma | Total | 291 | 704 |
Malignant | Mesothelioma | Mesothelioma | 13 | 345 |
Malignant | Mesothelioma | Kaposi’s Sarcoma | 52 | 7 |
Malignant | Mesothelioma | Peripheral Nerves And Autonomic Nervous System | 13 | 6 |
Malignant | Mesothelioma | Retroperitoneum And Peritoneum | 31 | 142 |
Malignant | Mesothelioma | Other Connective And Soft Tissue | 182 | 204 |
Malignant | Breast cancer | Total | 9117 | 7993 |
Malignant | Breast cancer | Breast | 9117 | 7993 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Total | 2578 | 2494 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Vulva | 74 | 104 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Vagina | 14 | 13 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Cervix Uteri | 920 | 103 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Corpus Uteri | 864 | 1290 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Uterus | 21 | 27 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Ovary | 648 | 848 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Other And Unspecified Female Genital Organs | 25 | 109 |
Malignant | Female genital cancer | Placenta | 12 | 0 |
Malignant | Male genital cancer | Total | 3816 | 9737 |
Malignant | Male genital cancer | Penis | 35 | 51 |
Malignant | Male genital cancer | Prostate | 3085 | 9592 |
Malignant | Male genital cancer | Testis | 685 | 84 |
Malignant | Male genital cancer | Other And Unspecified Male Genital Organs | 11 | 10 |
Malignant | Urinary tract cancer | Total | 1113 | 2166 |
Malignant | Urinary tract cancer | Kidney | 489 | 1149 |
Malignant | Urinary tract cancer | Renal Pelvis | 17 | 75 |
Malignant | Urinary tract cancer | Ureter | 13 | 51 |
Malignant | Urinary tract cancer | Bladder | 588 | 878 |
Malignant | Urinary tract cancer | Other And Unspecified Urinary Organs | 6 | 13 |
Malignant | Eye, brain, neural cancer | Total | 273 | 802 |
Malignant | Eye, brain, neural cancer | Eye And Adnexa | 104 | 92 |
Malignant | Eye, brain, neural cancer | Meninges | 9 | 9 |
Malignant | Eye, brain, neural cancer | Brain | 139 | 690 |
Malignant | Eye, brain, neural cancer | Spinal Cord, Cranial Nerves And Other Parts Of Central Nervous System | 21 | 11 |
Malignant | Endocrine cancer | Total | 369 | 399 |
Malignant | Endocrine cancer | Thyroid Gland | 323 | 369 |
Malignant | Endocrine cancer | Adrenal Gland | 15 | 23 |
Malignant | Endocrine cancer | Other Endocrine Glands And Related Structures | 31 | 7 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Total | 1361 | 1947 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Hodgkin’s Disease | 367 | 124 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Follicular (Nodular) Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma | 319 | 407 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Diffuse Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma | 354 | 883 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Peripheral And Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas | 77 | 140 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Other And Unspecified Types Of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma | 237 | 335 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Other Specified Types Of T-Nk-Cell Lymphoma | 0 | 6 |
Malignant | Lymphoma | Malignant Immunoproliferative Diseases | 7 | 52 |
Malignant | Multiple myeloma | Total | 186 | 736 |
Malignant | Multiple myeloma | Multiple Myeloma And Malignant Plasma Cell Neoplasms | 186 | 736 |
Malignant | Leukaemia | Total | 511 | 1025 |
Malignant | Leukaemia | Lymphoid Leukaemia | 305 | 611 |
Malignant | Leukaemia | Myeloid Leukaemia | 191 | 383 |
Malignant | Leukaemia | Monocytic Leukaemia | 4 | 14 |
Malignant | Leukaemia | Other Leukaemias Of Specified Cell Type | 1 | 7 |
Malignant | Leukaemia | Leukaemia Of Unspecified Cell Type | 10 | 10 |
Malignant | Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue | Total | 13 | 27 |
Malignant | Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue | Other And Unspecified Malignant Neoplasms Of Lymphoid, Haematopoietic And Related Tissue | 13 | 27 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Total | 8717 | 5404 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Oral Cavity, Oesophagus And Stomach | 21 | 91 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Other And Unspecified Digestive Organs | 85 | 428 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Middle Ear And Respiratory System | 29 | 52 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Melanoma In Situ | 499 | 1060 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Skin | 692 | 514 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Breast | 1347 | 1514 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Cervix Uteri | 5279 | 370 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Other And Unspecified Genital Organs | 299 | 441 |
Carcinoma in situ | In situ neoplasms | Other And Unspecified Sites | 466 | 934 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Total | 753 | 651 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Mouth And Pharynx | 1 | 0 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Major Salivary Glands | 47 | 0 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Colon, Rectum, Anus And Anal Canal | 2 | 0 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Other And Ill-Defined Parts Of Digestive System | 0 | 1 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Other And Unspecified Intrathoracic Organs | 0 | 2 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Bone And Articular Cartilage | 2 | 1 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Benign Haemangioma And Lymphangioma, Any Site | 3 | 0 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Ovary | 3 | 0 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Male Genital Organs | 0 | 1 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Urinary Organs | 4 | 1 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Meninges | 282 | 357 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Brain And Other Parts Of Central Nervous System | 196 | 145 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Thyroid Gland | 1 | 0 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Other And Unspecified Endocrine Glands | 208 | 143 |
Benign | Benign cancer | Other And Unspecified Sites | 4 | 0 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Total | 11425 | 23070 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Other Malignant Neoplasms Of Skin | 9755 | 20751 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Other And Ill-Defined Sites | 25 | 25 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Secondary And Unspecified Malignant Neoplasm Of Lymph Nodes | 93 | 81 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Secondary Malignant Neoplasm Of Respiratory And Digestive Organs | 20 | 154 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Secondary Malignant Neoplasm Of Other Sites | 24 | 56 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Malignant Neoplasm Without Specification Of Site | 34 | 245 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Independent (Primary) Multiple Sites | 0 | 1 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Oral Cavity And Digestive Organs | 240 | 212 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Middle Ear And Respiratory And Intrathoracic Organs | 20 | 18 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Female Genital Organs | 210 | 37 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Male Genital Organs | 31 | 8 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Urinary Organs | 367 | 440 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Meninges | 11 | 42 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Brain And Central Nervous System | 65 | 50 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Endocrine Glands | 57 | 28 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Polycythemia Vera | 115 | 105 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Myelodysplastic Syndromes | 37 | 222 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Neoplasms Of Uncertain Or Unknown Behaviour Of Lymphoid, Haematopoietic And Related Tissue | 174 | 418 |
Unspecified | Unspecified cancer | Other And Unspecified Sites | 147 | 177 |