| Reference | FOI 2025/1338 |
|---|---|
| Description | Cancer wait lists |
| Date Requested | 19/08/2025 |
| Date Replied | 16/09/2025 |
| Category | Data, Insight & Intelligence |
I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information act.
1. I would like to know how many patients with a referral for suspected cancer are currently waiting for an appointment. If possible, I would like this broken down into the type of cancer.
2. I would like to know the longest someone has currently been on the waiting list after being referred with a possible cancer diagnosis, and I would like to know the type of cancer they are suspected to have.
3. For people that have been diagnosed I would like to know the average wait time for treatment to begin. If possible, I would like this broken down into a type of cancer. I would like this data for 2021/22, 2022/23, 23/24 and 25 years to date.
4. For people who have had a cancer diagnosis I would like to know, currently, what is the longest someone has been waiting for treatment and the cancer they have been diagnosed with.
5. For the years 2021/22, 2022/23, 23/24 and 25 years to date I would like to know who many patients have passed away while waiting to start treatment for their cancer diagnosis.
Cancer data for NHS Greater Manchester ICB (NHS GM) is provided online to Greater Manchester (GM) colleagues via the GM Curator dashboard, which is the source of the responses to your questions below.
1. Unvalidated / unpublished data which shows the number of patients currently on a waiting list for cancer treatment, by provider and tumour site, this data is used for operational management purposes only. It is not deemed to be ‘published’ data. As of snapshot taken 03/09/2025:
| Cancer Referral Type | Count |
| Suspected head and neck cancers | 435 |
| Suspected breast cancer | 424 |
| Suspected lower gastrointestinal cancers | 379 |
| Suspected skin cancers | 309 |
| Suspected upper gastrointestinal cancers | 208 |
| Suspected gynaecological cancers | 201 |
| Suspected cancer – non-specific symptoms | 141 |
| Suspected urological cancers (excluding testicular) | 139 |
| Exhibited (non-cancer) breast symptoms – cancer not initially | 81 |
| Unknown | 53 |
| Suspected lung cancer | 47 |
| Suspected sarcomas | 32 |
| Suspected haematological malignancies excluding acute | 18 |
| Suspected brain or central nervous system tumours | 15 |
| Other suspected cancer (not listed) | 12 |
| Suspected children’s cancer | 6 |
| Suspected testicular cancer | <5 |
| Grand Total | 2498 |
2. As above – exists in the same data
| Cancer Referral Type | Wait (Days) |
| Other suspected cancer (not listed) | 176 |
3. Annual wait bands are published for a given year by the NHS underneath ‘Revised Final’ here Statistics » Monthly Data and Summaries. Whilst this is not the average time, by looking at the distribution of waits for ’62 Day Combined’ it will give an indication of how many people are waiting and for how long. Also available in the data referred to in responses to questions 1 and 2, with snapshot below 3/9/2025.
| Average Wait to Treatment (Days) | |||||
| Tumour Group | FY 21/22 | FY 22/23 | FY 23/24 | FY 24/25 | FY 25/26 (to date) |
| Brain/Central Nervous | 54.00 | 52.94 | 44.40 | 53.29 | 35.33 |
| Breast | 51.98 | 60.26 | 59.45 | 57.21 | 57.47 |
| Gynaecological | 68.45 | 75.31 | 76.57 | 70.05 | 77.35 |
| Haematological | 55.48 | 60.62 | 65.21 | 67.88 | 61.37 |
| Head and Neck | 71.51 | 75.38 | 46.88 | 71.58 | 69.18 |
| Lower Gastrointestinal | 70.21 | 76.01 | 76.37 | 72.92 | 70.69 |
| Lung | 59.16 | 62.30 | 63.71 | 60.06 | 56.66 |
| Other | 56.84 | 61.67 | 71.20 | 73.42 | 67.24 |
| Sarcoma | 75.75 | 97.92 | 93.38 | 98.18 | 93.65 |
| Skin | 46.42 | 57.84 | 64.20 | 61.02 | 57.79 |
| Testicular | 24.44 | 25.13 | 31.71 | 28.48 | 28.35 |
| Unknown | 44.43 | 74.47 | 63.83 | 54.46 | 46.30 |
| Upper Gastrointestinal | 59.36 | 62.83 | 54.39 | 53.23 | 56.00 |
| Urological | 51.46 | 62.13 | 65.91 | 58.63 | 62.23 |
4. NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) does not hold the information requested, this is because of inconsistencies in data quality and the possibility of pathways across two providers, the information we do hold would not provide a true and accurate reflection. Therefore, you may wish to contact the Provider Trusts who may be able to provide you with the information you seek. To assist you, please find below links to their websites with information about how to make a Freedom of Information request.
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Bolton NHS FT (boltonft.nhs.uk)
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Northern Care Alliance
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (mft.nhs.uk)
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care (tamesideandglossopicft.nhs.uk)
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information disclosure logs (christie.nhs.uk)
5. Cancer data provided to NHS GM does not contain patient dates of death, nor does it record robust information about why a patient was removed from the waiting list, including when a patient has passed away. Therefore, you may wish to contact the Provider Trusts who may be able to provide you with the information you seek. Please see the response to question 4 for links to their websites and how to make a Freedom of Information request.
