Case-mix adjusted percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 by sub-ICB in England, 2021

Table 1 lists the unadjusted percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 by cancer site/group in 2021. Of the cancer sites/groups listed, the percentage of cases diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 ranged from 19% (oesophagus including cardia and gastroesophageal junction) to 90% (testis).

The percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 may vary by cancer site/group for several reasons. These reasons include: patient awareness and recognition of symptoms, the ease of diagnosis of the symptoms by healthcare practitioners (cancers with non-specific symptoms can be harder to diagnose), and how fast the cancer spreads and develops

Table 1. Unadjusted percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 by cancer site/group (2021) 

All stageable cancer site/groups are included within this section; this includes the 18 cancer sites/groups in Table 1 plus other stageable cancer sites defined according to the United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries (UKIACR).  The denominator is the total number of cancers diagnosed with a valid stage.

Table 2 shows that the unadjusted percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 varies by deprivation quintile for England. In 2021, the percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 in the 20% most deprived areas of England is 8 percentage points lower than for those in the 20% least deprived areas (49% versus 57%), this is significantly lower.

Table 2. Unadjusted percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 by deprivation (2021) 

Table 3 shows that of the 18 cancer sites/groups investigated, 8 had a significantly lower percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 in the 20% most deprived areas compared to those in the 20% least deprived areas and 9 cancer sites/groups had no significant difference. The only cancer site/group to have a higher proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 in the 20% most deprived areas compared to those in the 20% least deprived areas was Ovarian cancer. The denominator is the total number of cancers diagnosed with a valid stage.

Table 3. Unadjusted percentage of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 by cancer site/group and deprivation (2021)