AAACM – what’s going on with the trend in LCR…? …and can it be explained by cancer?

Under 75 mortality by cancer type

Under 75 mortality rates from cancer have not changed significantly for any cancer in LCR… The under 75 mortality rates from bladder cancer, cervical cancer and malignant melanoma have increased over this time, but not significantly

Under 75 incidence by cancer type Since 1996 the under 75 incidence rates of breast cancer, gynaecological cancers, skin cancers, urological cancers and endocrine cancers have increased significantly in LCR. This is in line with similar increases in England. The incidence rate of lung cancer has decreased significantly in both LCR and England.

1 and 5 year survival from breast, lung, lower GI and urological cancers has increased significantly in LCR since the early 1990’s. Survival rates in LCR are very similar to the England average.

Screening coverage for breast and cervical cancers are consistently higher in LCR than the England average. No data is available yet on the bowel cancer screening programme.

For some cancers including lower GI cancer and urological cancers, a lower proportion of patients are being treated within 31 days than the national standard. In terms of the proportion of patients who wait 62 days or less from urgent GP referral to first treatment, the operational standard for all cancers (85%) is not being met. This includes lower GI, upper GI and urological cancers.

Overall in LCR the cancer mortality rate was higher in the most deprived quintile than the least, although North West Leicestershire was the only district where this difference was statistically significant. The SII for cancer mortality shows that there is significantly less inequality in cancer mortality than the England average in Hinckley and Bosworth and Rutland. There is significantly greater inequality in terms of cancer mortality in Melton and North West Leicestershire than in Hinckley and Bosworth, but this is not significantly different to the England average. The relationship between cancer and deprivation is complicated. Although overall cancer mortality is related to deprivation, and survival from cancer is likely to be higher in more affluent areas, incidence of some cancer types (e.g. skin and breast cancer) is inversely related to deprivation so is more common in more affluent areas.

So what’s the conclusion??? And if we are still performing better than peer PCTs should we even be worrying about all of this?