COVID-19

NCRAS is undertaking a number of core projects aimed at providing near real-time data for England to support clinical and policy decision making in relation to the COVID pandemic. These are:

  • The Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset, aimed at supporting near-real time analysis in relation to COVID. This dataset is now available through the Office for Data Release, and as a Rapid Cancer Registration and Treatment dashboard. This is available via the Cancerstats2 platform (for those with nhs.net). A public version is also available.
  • A RTDS dashboard which is aimed at providing a suite of metrics of radiotherapy relevant to COVID-19 which are designed to support decision making on cancer services. This is available via the Cancerstats2 platform (for those with nhs.net). A public facing version is also available.
  • A SACT dashboard aimed at providing a suite of metrics of chemotherapy relevant to COVID-19 which are designed to support decision making on cancer services. This is now available via the Cancerstats2 platform (for those with nhs.net). A public version is also available.
  • COVID-19 Cancer Equity Data Packs: The latest national and regional activity data on both the number of urgent suspected cancer Two-Week Wait referrals and first definitive treatments for cancer. The data is broken down by tumour type and patient factors: deprivation, age, sex and ethnicity. The equity packs are produced by CADEAS and NCRAS. 

NCRAS has also supported a number of requests for data to help manage and understand the impact on cancer and non-cancer care and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. These datasets are made available publicly below to support further planning and research.

Other cancer data COVID-19 outputs:

  • The weekly volume of radiotherapy episodes from 1st October 2018 up to 31st May 2020 for rectal cancer, by gender, age band, region and prescribed total dose and prescribed total fractions (short and long course)
  • The weekly counts of radiotherapy episodes and attendances up to May 2020 by cancer type, intent, and breast cancer dose fractionation.
    • More data on radiotherapy activity in hospitals in England is available in an interactive tool.

 

Other cancer data outputs:

  • The latest data on Urgent Suspected Cancer (USC) referral, conversion and detection rates for up to 14 tumour types is available in an interactive tool comparing geographies, referral types or cancer sites, or demographics (gender, age, deprivation, or ethnicity). This provides an insight into referral activities and their contribution to diagnostic pathways.  Related data was previously published in advance of the tool release and update:
    • National data on TWW conversion and detection rates from 2009/10 to 2019/20.
    • For suspected breast cancer and breast symptoms urgent cancer referral routes, data on an age breakdown of national referral, conversion and detection rates, from 2009/10 to 2019/20.
    • The conversion rate of urgent referrals for suspected urological cancers (TWW), broken down by age and diagnosed cancer type for referrals from 2013/14 to 2018/19.
  • breakdown of age, stage, sex and cancer type for cancers diagnosed via the Two Week Wait (TWW) pathway in 2016-2018.
    • More information on NCRAS’s Routes to Diagnosis publications is available here.
  • Net survival (1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5- year) by route to diagnosis, stage, sex and cancer site for diagnoses in 2012-2016.
  • The number of cancer patients starting starting chemotherapy regimens in 2018, by age group
  • The chemotherapy activity for the 10 most common cancer types up to September 2019 by treatment intent and cancer type, and by month of activity
  • The numbers of patients receiving systemic anti-cancer therapy and receiving immunosuppressive drugs between 1st April 2018 and 31st March 2019

Cancer papers:

  • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiotherapy services in England, UK: a population-based study. Includes information from February to June 2020 on:
    • the mean weekly courses (episodes) and attendances
    • the mean weekly number of radical episodes and attendances
    • the change in fractionation patterns over time for courses (episodes) delivered with curative intent for a range of diagnoses
    • the percentage change in treatment courses (episodes) by provider organisation in April, May and June 2020 compared to the equivalent months in 2019
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection and management of colorectal cancer in England: a population-based study. Includes information on:
    • the monthly number, and percent reduction in the monthly number, of episodes (courses) of neoadjuvant rectal radiotherapy delivered in England up to October 2020
  • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on skin cancer incidence and treatment in England, 2020. Includes information on:
    • Estimates of melanoma incidence using data from the Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset
    • Counts of the number of resection procedures and Cancer Waiting Times first treatments for melanoma
    • Counts of the number of pathology reports for cSCCs and BCCs
  • Effect of delays in the 2-week-wait cancer referral pathway during the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer survival in the UK: a modelling study. Includes information on:
    • proportion of all diagnoses made via two-week-wait pathway, with a breakdown by cancers diagnosed via this pathway by age and cancer stage, diagnostic conversion rate, and average annual referrals for 2013-2016 (Table 1)
    • age-stratified and stage-stratified information on routes to diagnosis and conversion rates for 20 common tumour types referred in 2013-2016 (Supplementary Table 2)estimated impact on 10-year net survival of differing periods of diagnostic delay to cancer treatment for patients in England for 20 common tumour types diagnosed in 2008–17 at age 30 years and older (Supplementary Table 3) and broken down by stage and age (Supplementary Table 4)
    • estimated impact on 10-year net survival of differing periods of diagnostic delay to cancer treatment for patients in England for 20 common tumour types diagnosed in 2008–17 at age 30 years and older (Supplementary Table 3) and broken down by stage and age (Supplementary Table 4)
  • Collateral damage: the impact on outcomes from cancer surgery of the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes information on:
    • Estimated reduction in 5-year net survival due to a 6-month delay to surgery for 13 cancer types, by tumour stage and age of diagnosis (Table 2)
    • Estimated reduction in 5-year survival for 31 cancer types/subtypes, by tumour stage and age of diagnosis, due to delays in surgery (Supplementary Table 3)
  • Prioritisation by FIT to mitigate the impact of delays in the 2-week wait colorectal cancer referral pathway during the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK modelling study. Includes information on:
    • Estimated reduction in 10-year net colorectal cancer survival by age and stage due to delays in the diagnostic pathway (Table 1)

These three cancer modelling papers utilised 5- and 10- year crude and net survival by stage, cancer site and receipt of major surgical resection for 2013-2017.

Non-cancer data outputs:

  • The number and proportion of patients on specific medication for conditions including immunosuppression, heart failure, and brittle respiratory disease, broken down by age group for prescriptions October 2018 up to September 2019.
  • Estimates of the size of the general population with polypharmacy broken down by age group between October 2018 and September 2019. Polypharmacy has been estimated using the number of prescriptions per person per month, and as the proportion of people with 10+ drugs per person per month.
  • Estimates of the size of the general population with cardiac polypharmacy broken down by age group in July 2019. Polypharmacy has been estimated using the number of unique cardiac drugs prescribed for a specific purpose dispensed per patient in July 2019, and as the number of cardiac prescriptions per patient in July 2019.

More information on the range of outputs NCRAS regularly produces, which may also provide relevant information to support planning and decision making during the COVID-19 period, is available here

  • Effect of delays in the 2-week-wait cancer referral pathway during the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer survival in the UK: a modelling study. Includes information on:
    • proportion of all diagnoses made via two-week-wait pathway, with a breakdown by cancers diagnosed via this pathway by age and cancer stage, diagnostic conversion rate, and average annual referrals for 2013-2016 (Table 1)