Big data project in England ‘aiding earlier cancer diagnosis’

Cancers are being diagnosed earlier in England due to the success of a Public Health England big data project.

The complete Routes to Diagnosis data – which covers more than two million patients diagnosed with cancer from 2006 to 2013 – has been published this week, offering data on people are diagnosed, with associated survival rates, for 56 different cancer sites.

In 2006, almost 25 percent of cancers were diagnosed as an emergency, but in 2013 had fallen to 20 percent, despite a rise in the overall number of cancer cases. Rates of survival for cancer patients diagnosed as an emergency are much lower than through other routes.

In cancers with screening programmes, like bowel and cervical, the proportion of those detected by screening – with the associated improved survival rates – have increased compared to 2006.

Julia Verne, head of clinical epidemiology at Public Health England, said: "The latest Routes to Diagnosis data shows a positive trend in how cancer is diagnosed in England. The earlier the better if we are to catch up with comparable European countries."