Cancer Registration Statistics, England, 2021 - Full release

Users of cancer registration statistics include government organisations, health policy-makers, cancer charities, academics and researchers, cancer registries, the general public and the media.

Cancer registration statistics are used to:

• measure the occurrence of cancer within the population of England; used alongside cancer prevalence, mortality and survival, policy-makers can determine the overall burden of cancer, which can inform cancer policies and programmes
• inform cancer research
• feed into cancer information such as leaflets, web pages and campaigns to raise cancer awareness
• produce National Statistics on cancer survival (in conjunction with mortality data), which is used to support policy on prevention and treatment; as well as to monitor a number of cancer performance indicators
• brief Government Ministers and respond to Parliamentary questions
• provide bespoke, aggregated tables in response to customer enquiries.

Other statistics related to cancer are available:

• The Case-mix adjusted percentage of cancer diagnoses at stages 1 and 2 publication presents the 1- and 3- year unadjusted and case-mix adjusted ‘percentage of all cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2’ indicator nationally and at sub-Integrated Care Board (sub-ICB) level. 
• The Cancer survival for England Collection provides all bulletins relating to cancer survival:
  • The Cancer survival in England publication provides estimates of adult cancer survival for common cancer types. Survival by stage at diagnosis is estimated where possible. This publication also provides cancer survival estimates for children diagnosed with cancer. This publication has been combined with the geographic patterns of cancer survival in England publication, providing estimates of adult cancer survival for common cancer types, by the regional geographies of Cancer Alliances (CAs) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).
  • The Cancer survival: Index for sub-Integrated Care Boards, 2005 to 2020 presents cancer survival for sub-ICBs, CAs, ICBs and England. Separate estimates for breast, bowel, and lung cancers are published. 
  • The Conditional crude probability of death from cancer publication provides conditional crude probabilities of death, split by cancer and non-cancer causes, for adult cancer patients in England.

Cancer incidence statistics across the UK can be accessed from the following individual cancer registries:

Welsh Cancer Intelligence Surveillance Unit [email protected]

PHScotland [email protected]

Northern Ireland Cancer Registry [email protected]

NCRAS, the Office for National Statistics and these other cancer registries (including the National Cancer Registry Ireland, along with specialist registries and cancer charities) are members of the UK and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries (UKIACR), which aims to promote and develop cancer registration in England, Wales, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The UKIACR specifically provides a:

• focus for national initiatives in cancer registration
• coherent voice for representation of cancer registries in the UK and Ireland
• channel for liaison between registries and for agreeing policy on matters connected with cancer registration
• framework to facilitate the operation of special-interest groups and regional registries
• means of stimulating the development of cancer registration, information procedures and practices, and research based on cancer registry data

UK-wide statistics on cancer incidence can also be found on the website of Cancer Research UK.