This dataset presents the mortality rate from cancer among individuals under the age of 75 within the Birmingham and Solihull area. It captures the number of deaths attributed to all cancers (classified under ICD-10 codes C00 to C97) and expresses this as a directly age-standardised rate per 100,000 population. The data is structured in quinary age bands and is available for both single-year and three-year rolling averages, providing a comprehensive view of premature cancer mortality trends in the region.
Rationale
Reducing premature mortality from cancer is a key public health priority. This indicator helps track progress in lowering the number of cancer-related deaths among people under 75, supporting efforts to improve early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies.
Numerator
The numerator is the number of deaths from all cancers (ICD-10 codes C00 to C97) registered in the respective calendar years, for individuals aged under 75. These figures are aggregated into quinary age bands and sourced from the Death Register.
Denominator
The denominator is the population of individuals under 75 years of age, also aggregated into quinary age bands. For single-year rates, the population for that year is used. For three-year rolling averages, the population-years are aggregated across the three years. The source of this data is the 2021 Census.
Caveats
Data may not align exactly with published Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures due to differences in postcode lookup versions and the application of comparability ratios in Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) data. Users should be cautious when comparing this dataset with other national statistics.
External references
Further information and related indicators can be found on the OHID Fingertips platform.
Localities Explained
This dataset contains data based on either the resident locality or registered locality of the patient, a distinction is made between resident locality and registered locality populations:
- Resident Locality refers to individuals who live within the defined geographic boundaries of the locality. These boundaries are aligned with official administrative areas such as wards and Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs).
- Registered Locality refers to individuals who are registered with GP practices that are assigned to a locality based on the Primary Care Network (PCN) they belong to. These assignments are approximate—PCNs are mapped to a locality based on the location of most of their GP surgeries. As a result, locality-registered patients may live outside the locality, sometimes even in different towns or cities.
This distinction is important because some health indicators are only available at GP practice level, without information on where patients actually reside. In such cases, data is attributed to the locality based on GP registration, not residential address.
Click here to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.