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Publication, Part of

Cancer survival: Index for sub-Integrated Care Boards, 2005 to 2020

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Geographic variations in cancer survival between 2005 and 2020.

Between 2005 and 2020, the 1-year cancer survival index increased and geographic variation between sub-Integrated Care Boards (sub-ICBs) narrowed.

The index of cancer survival provides a single number to summarise the overall pattern of cancer survival. Figure 1 shows the sub-ICB variation in the 1-year index of cancer survival across time. The chart shows that the 1-year index of cancer survival for sub-ICBs has increased throughout the period for all sub-ICBs, while the difference in survival between sub-ICBs has decreased. Overall, the 1-year index of cancer survival for England has increased by 9 percentage points, from 65.6% in 2005 to 74.6% in 2020.

The range in 1-year index of cancer survival estimates for sub-ICBs (the gap between the highest and lowest sub-ICB) has narrowed from 9.1 percentage points in 2005 to 7.9 percentage points in 2020, which means there is now less geographic variation in cancer survival by sub-ICB in England.

Figure 1: Index of cancer survival for sub-ICBs in England compared to index of cancer survival for the whole of England, 2005 and 2020. The sub-ICBs are coloured and shaped depending on whether their survival in 2020 was better or worse than the 1-year index of survival for England in 2005.

Between 2005 and 2020, the range of the 1-year index of cancer survival for ICBs narrowed from 8.5 percentage points to 7.7 percentage points, and for CAs from 7.2 percentage points to 5.3 percentage points.

Although the index of cancer survival has increased in England and for all CAs, ICBs, and sub-ICBs between 2005 and 2020, the rate of change has varied across individual geographies. Table 1 shows the largest and smallest percentage changes for sub-ICBs – that is, those with the largest or smallest percentage point increases in the 1-year index of cancer survival for sub-ICBs between 2005 and 2020.

Even though a sub-ICB may be in the most or least changed categories, it does not mean that these sub-ICBs have the highest or lowest survival in 2020. The index has been designed to compare levels of survival over time for individual sub-ICBs (rather than comparing between sub-ICBs) – interpretation should focus on overall trends rather than on small changes in the survival index in a particular year.

Table 1: Sub-ICBs with the smallest and largest changes in the 1-year index of cancer survival in England between 2005 and 2020

Area name

Index of cancer survival, 2005 (%)

Index of cancer survival, 2020 (%)

Percentage point change 

England

64.4

74.6

9.0

Sub-ICBs with largest changes

 

 

 

NHS Greater Manchester ICB - 01W

62.4

77.7

15.3

NHS Greater Manchester ICB - 02A

63.4

78.1

14.7

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 01E

60.9

75.6

14.7

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 12F

62.3

76.5

14.2

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 01K

62.9

76.9

14.0

Sub-ICBs with smallest changes

 

 

 

NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 03Q

68.6

72.9

4.3

NHS Black Country ICB - D2P2L

65.9

70.5

4.6

NHS Mid and South Essex ICB - 99F

67.3

72.8

5.5

NHS Mid and South Essex ICB - 99G

66.6

72.1

5.5

NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB - 15E

66.8

72.4

5.6

NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 05Q 67.0 72.6 5.6
NHS Mid and South Essex ICB - 99E 67.0 72.6 5.6
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 03F 65.0 70.6 5.6

Note:  the alphanumeric code following the ICB name is the historical code for the geography that existed before sub-ICBs, the Clinical Comissioning Group.

The Independent Cancer Taskforce set the ambition to increase 12 month survival to 75% by 2020 for all cancers combined. In 2020, the 1-year index of cancer survival was above 75% for 32 of 106 sub-ICBs, 17 of 42 ICBs and 9 of 21 CAs.



Last edited: 13 April 2023 9:31 am