The reforms of the public health system are underway and it is now confirmed that the National Disease Registration Service will be moving to NHS Digital from October 2021. A transition board between the two organisations has been established and it is the aim of all involved to ensure that the transition of NDRS from PHE to NHSD is as smooth as possible, both for staff and for the continuation of the service. We will keep you up-to-date via the newsletter. If anyone has any questions at this stage please send an email to [email protected].

To mark sun awareness week from 3^rd to 9^th May, NDRS published a paper in partnership with The British Association of Dermatologists exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on skin cancer incidence and treatment in England. The study used high quality NDRS data from the Rapid Cancer Registration Data Set, and was published in The British Journal of Dermatology.

The study found that melanoma diagnoses fell 28% from April to November 2020 compared to the previous year which equates to an estimated 2671 fewer diagnoses than expected. Similarly, the number of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and cutaneous squamous-cell carcinomas (cSCCs) biopsied in April 2020 was just 22% and 58%, respectively, of the number biopsied in April 2019. It is thought that the drop in skin cancer diagnoses is due to fewer people seeing their GP about potential skin cancers during the pandemic.

Thanks to the communications teams at The British Association of Dermatologists and Public Health England, the findings were covered on ITV and recorded in The Times and The Sunday Times amongst others.

VICORI is the world’s first whole country cardio-oncology research platform. The initiative was set up to investigate the interplay between cardiovascular disease and cancer. It combines multiple electronic health records sources including:

Patient data is examined from all adults with either a cardiac hospital admission / procedure or cancer diagnosis. The team also look at information on treatment and outcomes. The VICORI cohort consists of 6.2 million cancer diagnoses, and 3.8 million cardiac hospital admissions / procedures, with annual updates from the registries.

The VICORI team, led by researchers at University of Leicester, enthusiastically welcomes collaboration from healthcare professionals, clinicians and academic researchers. We encourage interested research collaborators to contact the team at [email protected].

This month, three new workbooks showing 30-day mortality post SACT were published on the SACT website and the interactive app on CancerData. The app combines all previous releases into one output and allows more interactive functionality in the graphs and tables.

 The workbooks review:

The workbooks contain case-mix adjusted mortality rates using data submitted by NHS trusts through their monthly routine SACT data uploads. They were initially shared with NHS trusts earlier in the year. Comments from the trust have been included in the companion briefs published alongside the workbooks.

Please note that RDR is not available for public viewing. If you have any further questions, please contact the SACT team at [email protected].

A report using data from the LAPCD second survey was published on CancerStats2 (requires N3/HSCN secure network connection). The study was designed to investigate the quality of life of men living in the UK 18 to 42 months after a diagnosis of prostate cancer. This report provides results from the follow-up survey which was distributed to men across the UK who completed the first survey and were still alive one year later. Surveys were completed between February 2017 and January 2018.

New reports have been released on CancerStats2 (requires N3/HSCN secure network connection) for Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) Level 2 and Level 3, and Personalised Care and Support Planning (PCSP) Level 2. These reports will allow cancer teams to review their data and compare their service across different Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) within their own trust, against other trusts and geographical areas. The reports include charts on Assessments/Care Planning Offered, Point of the Pathway, and Staff Role, as well as summary data tables.

This month, NDRS co-authored a paper in the journal SSM – Population Health from the Inequalities in Cancer Outcomes Network (ICON) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The study examined differences in mortality and life expectancy by education, occupation and wage. The findings show that using individual-level socio-economic measures revealed wider health inequalities than using area-level measures. For example, men with degree education had 7 years’ longer life expectancy than men with no qualifications.

Abstract submissions are now open for the ENCR Scientific Meeting, which will take place virtually from 16th to 18th November.

The event provides the opportunity for all European cancer registries to share research findings, exchange ideas and network.

To submit an abstract, please fill in this online form. A list of topics under which authors can submit their abstracts can be found here. The deadline for submissions is 31^st May 2021.

NDRS recently hosted a webinar to provide more detailed information on the 30-day mortality post-SACT analyses. The workshop was attended by 74 NHS staff members.

Please contact the SACT team via [email protected] if you would like to access the slides and recording.

The webinar recording has now been uploaded onto the NDRS website, along with a transcript of the Q&A and slides.

NDRS are inviting applications for a Partnership Analyst to join the PHE/NHS England partnership. Candidates must have experience of undertaking strong statistical analysis and interpretations. The post holder will contribute to the development and delivery of the partnership analytical work programme and plan, manage and undertake analyses, interpretation and presentation of cancer data. They will also use and adapt national cancer intelligence products for local and regional use.

This is a fixed-term post until March 2022, and the closing date for applications is 25th May 2021.

NDRS are inviting applications for a Senior Analyst to support the cancer analytical team. Candidates must be strong team-players, with the ability to work proactively and under their own initiative. The post holder will lead on various projects to support key outputs for the analytical team, including the Radiotherapy Data Set (RTDS).

This is a permanent position, working part-time (28 hours per week). The closing date for applications is 27th May 2021.

NDRS are inviting applications for a Data Access and Confidentiality Manager to work in the Office for Data Release (ODR). Candidates must be self-starters, comfortable with ambiguity, able to think big (while paying careful attention to detail), and enjoy working in a dynamic environment. The post holder will work closely with colleagues across the research community, clinicians and charities to resolve highly complex information queries and problems within health research, data release or associated areas. They will also evaluate research requests to ensure data items requested are consistent with the proposal aims and objectives.

This is a fixed-term post for one year, and the closing date for applications is 27th May 2021.

The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) are inviting applications for a Cancer Data Analyst to work on important epidemiological projects on skin cancers. Candidates must have a strong statistical background and experience in analysing, interpreting and presenting routinely collected data. The post holder will work with colleagues to deliver NCRAS' analytical function for the BAD/PHE partnership. There will also be the opportunity to develop peer reviewed publications and formal NCRAS reports based upon project outputs.