Why was this work undertaken?
The Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot (OCAFP) was a 3-year collaboration between the gynaecological oncology clinical community, the charity sector, and the NHS between 2019 and 2023.
This work was undertaken to explore whether it was possible for meaningful analyses of routinely collected data that NDRS already held for the purposes of improving treatment and outcomes for women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England.
Why was this work needed?
This work was needed as there wasn’t a national picture of treatments and outcomes for women with ovarian cancer in England.
What were the benefits?
The OCAFP resulted in the release of new ovarian cancer data which provided a more accurate picture of ovarian cancer diagnosis and survival than had been previously available whilst also bringing attention to previously unknown inequalities.
Who funded and collaborated on this work?
The charity groups involved included Target Ovarian Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Action, who worked alongside the British Gynaecological Cancer Society (BGCS) and analysts from the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS).
What data was used for this work?
The data used for this work was both Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and Cancer Outcomes and Services Data set (COSD). This was linked with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data.
What was the outcome of this work?
This has had an enormous impact on both the clinical and the charity sectors.
The BGCS has led the establishment of Quality Performance Indicators (QPI’s) to set minimum and maximum standards for cancer care providers. In 2022 the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) agreed that cancer centres who apply for accreditation for subspecialty training would need to demonstrate their compliance with the QPI’s.
The outcome from this work is OCAFP have produced 5 reports which have helped demonstrate the value of a regular audit of ovarian cancer and by providing a model that can be implemented for other cancers.
Where can i find out more information?
OCAFP have released 5 reports.
The first report from the OCAFP was the disease profile in England: Incidence, mortality, stage and survival for ovary, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal carcinomas which was published in January 2020.
The second report from OCAFP looked at the variation highlighted in the first report and whether this could be attributable to the differences in clinical practice across the different regions within England. This report also focused on access to surgery and chemotherapy treatments. This revealed that more than 1 in 5 patients did not receive any form of surgery or chemotherapy, with significant differences in treatment rates between cancer alliances which couldn’t be attributed to variation in factors such as age, tumour stage and tumour type.
The third report investigated the factors associated with mortality in the first year after diagnosis for patients diagnosed with ovary, fallopian and primary peritoneal carcinoma between 2013 and 2018.
The fourth report from OCAFP looked at the lessons learnt on the feasibility of a national ovarian cancer clinical audit utilising only existing cancer registry, SACT and HES data.
The fifth and final report is a refresh of the first and second report which includes more recent patient data.
Last edited: 12 March 2024 3:14 pm
