This dataset can be found in:

Cancer waiting times: patients starting treatment and patients informed they do not have cancer, June 2019 onwards

See what variables and values are shown in your table

Variable	Visibility	Selected values	Action
Data description	Shown in table	All 4 values	Change values
Date	Shown in table	All 80 values	Change values
Local health board	Shown in table	All 8 values	Change values
Tumour site	Shown in table	All 16 values	Change values
Sex	Shown in table	All 4 values	Change values
Age group	Shown in table	All 10 values	Change values

Table

Data values	Data description	Date	Local health board	Tumour site	Sex	Age group
1,374	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Wales	All sites	Total	Total
333	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Betsi Cadwaladr	All sites	Total	Total
203	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Hywel Dda	All sites	Total	Total
275	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Aneurin Bevan	All sites	Total	Total
165	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Cardiff & Vale	All sites	Total	Total
231	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Cwm Taf Morgannwg	All sites	Total	Total
167	patients starting treatment	June 2019	Swansea Bay	All sites	Total	Total
1,491	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Wales	All sites	Total	Total
367	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Betsi Cadwaladr	All sites	Total	Total
223	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Hywel Dda	All sites	Total	Total
281	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Aneurin Bevan	All sites	Total	Total
166	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Cardiff & Vale	All sites	Total	Total
215	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Cwm Taf Morgannwg	All sites	Total	Total
239	patients starting treatment	July 2019	Swansea Bay	All sites	Total	Total
1,446	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Wales	All sites	Total	Total
319	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Betsi Cadwaladr	All sites	Total	Total
245	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Hywel Dda	All sites	Total	Total
321	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Aneurin Bevan	All sites	Total	Total
148	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Cardiff & Vale	All sites	Total	Total
206	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Cwm Taf Morgannwg	All sites	Total	Total
207	patients starting treatment	August 2019	Swansea Bay	All sites	Total	Total
1,447	patients starting treatment	September 2019	Wales	All sites	Total	Total
326	patients starting treatment	September 2019	Betsi Cadwaladr	All sites	Total	Total
232	patients starting treatment	September 2019	Hywel Dda	All sites	Total	Total
300	patients starting treatment	September 2019	Aneurin Bevan	All sites	Total	Total

Showing 1 to 25 of 411,714 rows

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Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.

Next update expected:23 April 2026

Updates

• 19th March 2026:

  New month added

• 19th February 2026:

  New month added and revisions applied to previous data where applicable

• 22nd January 2026:

  New month added

• 18th December 2025:

  New month added.

• 26th September 2025: Dataset first published.

Main information

• Designation: Accredited official statistics
• Data provider: Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
• Data source: Suspected Cancer Pathway (SCP)

Overview

• Summary of dataset and variables:

  Under the suspected cancer pathway, a pathway starts at the point of suspicion (for example when a GP makes a referral) and this is when the recorded waiting time starts. A pathway is closed, and their waiting time ends, when the patient starts their first definitive treatment, is downgraded (told they do not have cancer), chooses not to have treatment or if the patient dies. This data measures activity through the number of pathways opened following a suspicion of cancer. Note that a patient may be on more than one pathway.

• Data collection or calculation:

  Open pathway data collected through the NDR method is broadly similar to the previous aggregate data collection, however direct comparisons should not be made between the two sources because the previous method is known to contain many duplicate pathways. This means that the number of pathways opened in months prior to December 2021 should not be directly compared to data from December 2021 onwards.

  Please find this information in the related statistical release, as per the given weblink.

• Statistical quality:

  Suspected cancer pathway data is measured by patient pathways rather than unique patients. This is because a single patient can have multiple cancer pathways opened if cancer is suspected in more than one tumour site. When quality assuring open pathway data for October, November and December 2021, it was estimated that the number of pathways opened is approximately 2-3% higher than the number of unique patients who were suspected of having cancer. Open pathway data collected through the NDR method is broadly similar to the previous aggregate data collection, however direct comparisons should not be made between the two sources because the previous method is known to contain many duplicate pathways. This means that the number of pathways opened in months prior to December 2021 should not be directly compared to data from December 2021 onwards.

• Related reports:
  • NHS activity and performance summary (English)
  • NHS activity and performance summary: quality report (English)
  • Suspected cancer pathway: quality report (English)
  • NHS activity and performance summary (Welsh)
  • NHS activity and performance summary: quality report (Welsh)
  • Suspected cancer pathway: quality report (Welsh)

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: stats.healthinfo@gov.wales