Somatic molecular dashboard

The genetic alterations giving rise to and occurring in cancers (i.e. somatic aberrations) can be important markers for prognosis and treatment options. Increasingly, molecular diagnostic testing is being carried out as standard care for a number of different tumour types. Since 2016 the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) has collected this molecular diagnostic testing data in one central data set covering all English tumour diagnoses. Since 2019, the NDRS has also collected data on immunohistochemistry (IHC) protein tests carried out on PD-L1 and MMR proteins. This new somatic data set is an important and exciting data resource. The Somatic Molecular Data dashboard exists to let users explore, at top level, the data found in this data set.

The Somatic Molecular Data dashboard includes tumours diagnosed and tested in England for somatic aberrations. It aims to provide high level counts giving aggregate data on somatic testing of cancers by year (diagnosed/ tested), gene, chromosome location, tumour site and test result.

Users are likely to be from academia and pharma. The data may be sufficient to answer some queries or provide information on the volume and range of data available to enable users to gauge if it would meet their needs prior to developing a research proposal or Data Access Request Service (DARS) application.

Acknowledgement

This work uses data that has been provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support. The data are collated, maintained and quality assured by the National Disease Registration Service, which is part of NHS England.

The data covers testing of the tumour’s genetic material at gene and chromosome level carried out by specialist molecular laboratories* and hospital pathology laboratories in England. The data is structured across three broad tables as follows:

'Gene tests' includes data on all genes (except IHC testing of MMR and PD-L1 proteins) from specialist molecular laboratories for molecular tests undertaken from 2016 to 2021 (from the table AT_GENE_MOL_ENGLAND). However, as different tumour coding systems were used prior to 2013, only tumours diagnosed from 2013 onwards are included. 

'Path tests (IHC) on MMR/PD-L1' includes data on IHC testing of MMR and PD-L1 proteins from hospital pathology laboratories on tumours diagnosed from 2019 to 2021 (from the table AT_GENE_PATH_ENGLAND).

'Chromosome tests' includes data on all chromosomes from specialist molecular laboratories for molecular tests undertaken from 2016 to 2021 (from the table AT_CHROMOSOME_ENGLAND).

Some specialist molecular laboratories do not supply information. So, data in 'Gene tests' and 'Chromosome tests' is close to, but does not have, national coverage.

Haematological cancers are not included as a specific group as testing data on these cancers is not yet of sufficient quality.

Genetic alterations that do not relate to a specific gene or chromosome, such as microsatellite instability or clonality testing are not included. A table is being developed for those alterations and as such not currently available for analysis.

*Specialist molecular laboratories cover both ‘genomics laboratories’, which are the original Regional Genetics Laboratories, and ‘molecular path laboratories’, which are the traditional hospital pathology laboratories that have branched out into molecular diagnostic testing.

This is an annual publication released after the end of year snapshots are published in the NDRS’s Cancer Analysis System (CAS).

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about this dashboard. Please do not include sensitive or patient identifiable information.

To access the data used in this publication, please refer to the 'Data and Definitions' tab within the dashboard.