National cancer audit centre publishes latest results

Results from six national cancer audits in England and Wales have been published by the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN). They demonstrate that variations in the quality of cancer care persist in the NHS. 

State of the Nation reports for six national audits covering primary and metastatic breast, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, pancreatic and oesophago-gastric cancer are available online: 

National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer (NAoPri):  

https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/naopri-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer (NaoMe): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/naome-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

National Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer Audit (NNHLA): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/nnhla-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

National Pancreatic Cancer Audit (NPaCA): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/npaca-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit (NOGCA): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/nogca-state-of-the-nation-report-2026 

NATCAN, based in the Clinical Effectiveness Unit of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, aims to strengthen NHS cancer services by assessing patterns of care and outcomes across England and Wales. 

The State of the Nation reports contain recommendations for NHS cancer services and are published alongside individual NHS Trust or Health Board and regional results in the new NATCAN data dashboard, highlighting where improvement is needed. The complexity of cancer treatment is considered for each audit, recognising that a patient’s treatment plan must consider the stage of their cancer, their fitness, and how likely they are to respond to treatment. 

NATCAN works in close partnership with professional bodies and patient charities to progress cancer care. Patient forums have been established to ensure people with lived experience of cancer play a central role in shaping the quality improvement goals and activities of each audit. The cancer audits are committed to sector-wide engagement to deliver meaningful outcomes for patients, their families, healthcare professionals, and the wider system. 

Dr Tom Roques, Clinical Director of NATCAN, said:  

“These State of the Nation reports provide high-quality national benchmarking data in key clinical areas. Whilst there are clear improvements in some areas of care, there is still too much unwarranted variation. We urge cancer services and clinical teams on the ground to explore our recommendations and use our quality improvement tools to shine a light on the care they are providing and translate our findings into meaningful improvements for their patients.” 

Mr Tim Lane, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: 

“High-quality cancer care depends on patients receiving the right treatment, at the right time, wherever they live. These audits provide valuable evidence on where care is working well and where improvements are needed. This insight must be used to share best practice and ensure that every patient has access to the high standards of care they deserve.” 

Dr Julie Nossiter, Director of Operations, National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN), said: 

“These reports help the cancer community identify where there is variation in care and focus efforts where improvements can have the greatest impact. We are grateful to the clinical teams, people with lived experience, charities and professional organisations who contribute to the national cancer audits, helping to ensure that the evidence generated by NATCAN supports quality improvement and ultimately better outcomes for people affected by cancer.” 

ENDS   

Notes to editors:     

1. National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer (NAoPri):  
   https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/naopri-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

2. National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer (NaoMe): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/naome-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

3. National Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer Audit (NNHLA): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/nnhla-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

4. National Pancreatic Cancer Audit (NPaCA): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/npaca-state-of-the-nation-report-2026/ 

5. National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit (NOGCA): https://www.natcan.org.uk/reports/nogca-state-of-the-nation-report-2026 

6. The National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN) is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and funded by NHS England and the Welsh Government as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). NATCAN delivers national audits in bowel, breast (primary and metastatic), kidney, lung, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, oesophago-gastric, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers.  

7. The Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) is a collaboration between the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Department of Health Services Research and Policy of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Since its inception in 1998, the CEU has become a national centre of expertise in the methods, organisation, and logistics of large-scale studies of the quality of surgical care. It has fostered collaborative links with professional organisations, the Department of Health and Social Care, and other relevant bodies within the NHS.   

8. The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their careers. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.       

9. For more information, please contact the RCS England press office: telephone: 020 7869 6054/6053; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.