This release provides details of the number of these cancers diagnosed each year, along with incidence rates over time and data for a range of geographic areas. Survival trends and prevalence (the number of people alive) is also provided. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, a further report has been compiled for each cancer type detailing how incidence and survival for that cancer has changed between Apr-Dec 2018-2019 and Apr-Dec 2020 thereby providing an overview of the impact of the pandemic on cancer patients and cancer services in general.

Key facts and figures from these reports are presented below

Urinary cancers

• During 2020 there were 1,224 cases of prostate cancer, 63 cases of testicular cancer, 218 cases of bladder cancer and 241 cases of kidney cancer.
• Compared to the average number of cases in Apr-Dec 2018-2019, in Apr-Dec 2020 there was:
• a 14.5% decrease in prostate cancer cases (from 1,035 to 885),
• a 13.7% decrease in testicular cancer cases (from 51 to 44),
• a 6.1% decrease in bladder cancer cases (from 181 to 170) and
• a 32.1% decrease in kidney cancer cases (from 237 to 161).

• The proportion of cancers that were diagnosed at a late stage (stage IV) increased from 17.2% to 20.1% among prostate cancer patients, from 15.6% to 21.7% among kidney cancer patients and from 9.9% to 15.3% among bladder cancer patients.
• The proportion of prostate cancer patients receiving treatment within six months of diagnosis decreased from 73.6% among those diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2018-2019 to 64.4% among those diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2020. Specifically, the proportion receiving surgery decreased from 9.3% to 6.4%, while the proportion receiving hormone therapy decreased from 63.5% to 55.1%. However, the proportion receiving chemotherapy increased from 7.1% to 9.4% and there was no significant change in the proportion receiving radiotherapy.
• There were no significant changes in the proportion of bladder, kidney or testicular cancer patients receiving treatment within six months of diagnosis.

• For patients diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2020, three-month survival after diagnosis for each cancer type was as follows:
• Prostate cancer: 96.7%
• Bladder cancer: 85.9%
• Kidney cancer: 86.6%
• Testicular cancer: 97.7%

This represented a slight reduction in survival for all four cancer types compared to survival for patients diagnosed in Apr-Dec of 2018-2019. However, reductions were not large enough to conclusively indicate poorer survival prospects for patients diagnosed in 2020, but warrant further follow up of patients to determine their longer term outcomes.

Gynaecological cancers

• During 2020 there were 73 cases of cervical cancer, 172 cases of ovarian cancer and 238 cases of uterine cancer.
• Compared to the average number of cases in Apr-Dec 2018-2019, in Apr-Dec 2020 there was:
• a 22.9% decrease in cervical cancer cases (from 70 to 54),
• a 23.9% decrease in ovarian cancer cases (from 163 to 124) and
• a 17.4% decrease in uterine cancer cases (from 213 to 176).

• The proportion of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed at a later stage (stages III/IV) increased between Apr-Dec 2018-2019 and Apr-Dec 2020 from 54.6% to 62.1%, while the proportion of uterine cancer patients diagnosed at these stages increased from 24.4% to 28.4%. There was no significant change in the stage at which cervical cancer patients were diagnosed.
• The proportion of uterine cancer patients receiving treatment within six months of diagnosis decreased from 89.2% among those diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2018-2019 to 81.8% among those diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2020. Specifically, the proportion receiving surgery decreased from 79.3% to 68.8%. However, the proportion receiving radiotherapy increased from 22.1% to 33.5%, while there was no significant change in the proportion receiving chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

• There were no significant changes in the proportion of cervical or ovarian cancer patients receiving treatment within six months of diagnosis.
• For patients diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2020, three-month survival after diagnosis for each cancer type was as follows:
• Cervical cancer: 100.0%
• Ovarian cancer: 81.3%
• Uterine cancer: 91.7%

This represented a slight reduction in survival for ovarian and uterine cancer compared to patients diagnosed in Apr-Dec of 2018-2019. However, reductions were not large enough to conclusively indicate poorer survival prospects for patients diagnosed in 2020, but warrant further follow up of patients to determine their longer term outcomes.

Hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers

• During 2020 there were 297 cases of pancreatic cancer, 132 cases of liver cancer and 127 cases of gallbladder cancer.
• Compared to the average number of cases in Apr-Dec 2018-2019, in Apr-Dec 2020 there was:
• a 13.9% increase in pancreatic cancer cases (from 201 to 229),
• a 19.2% decrease in liver cancer cases (from 120 to 97) and
• a 24.7% increase in gallbladder cancer cases (from 77 to 96).

• The proportion of pancreatic cancer patients diagnosed at a late stage (stage IV) increased from 48.8% to 55.0%, while the proportion of liver cancer patients diagnosed at stage IV increased from 21.7% to 30.9%. However, there was a reduction in the proportion of gallbladder cancers diagnosed at stage IV from 41.6% to 30.2%.
• The proportion of liver cancer patients receiving treatment within six months of diagnosis increased from 36.7% among those diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2018-2019 to 48.5% among those diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2020.

• There were no significant changes in the proportion of pancreatic or gallbladder cancer patients receiving treatment within six months of diagnosis.
• For patients diagnosed in Apr-Dec 2020, three-month survival after diagnosis for each cancer type was as follows:
• Pancreatic cancer: 49.1%
• Liver cancer: 64.2%
• Gallbladder cancer: 51.0%

This represented a slight, but inconclusive, reduction in pancreatic and gallbladder cancer survival and a slight but inconclusive improvement in liver cancer patient survival compared to survival of patients diagnosed in Apr-Dec of 2018-2019.

Media

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