HC Deb 01 March 2004 vol 418 c706W
Mrs. Iris Robinson

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cancer deaths there were(a) in 2003 and (b) in 1974 from (i) breast cancer, (ii) testicular cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) Hodgkin's disease and (v) all cancers. [157383]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Iris Robinson, dated 1 March 2004: As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many cancer deaths there were in (a) 2003 and (b) 1974 from (i) breast cancer, (ii) testicular cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) Hodgkin's disease and (v) all cancers.(157383) The latest year for which data are available is 2002. The figures requested are shown in the table below for 1974 and 2002.

Number of deaths from various cancers1, England and Wales,1974 and 20022
1974 2002
Breast cancer 11,319 11,557
Testicular cancer 239 60
Bowel cancer 16,678 14,544
Hodgkin's disease 748 251
All cancer 121,397 136,777
1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (ICD-8) for 1974, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2002. The codes used are listed below:
Breast cancer: ICD-8 174; ICD-10 C50
Testicular cancer: ICD-8 186; ICD-10 C62
Bowel cancer: ICD-8 152-154; ICD-10 C17-C21
Hodgkin's disease: ICD-8 201; ICD-10 C81
All cancer—ICD-8 140–207; ICD-10 C00-C97.
Figures coded to different revisions of the ICD are not completely comparable.
2 Figures are based on deaths registered in 1974 and deaths occurring in 2002.
Cancer trends in Northern Ireland are monitored by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry whose website address is: http://www.qub.ac.uk/nicr/intro.htm