The Cancer Patient Tracking List (CanPTL) data collection is a weekly snapshot, in aggregate, from acute hospitals capturing the number of patients waiting on the 62-day pathway following an urgent suspected cancer referral. These figures include patients who will not have cancer and are waiting for this to be ruled out as well as those who are waiting for initial treatment following diagnosis of cancer.

Since late 2020, we have routinely made available, following publication of the monthly CWT statistics, the number of those waiting longer than 62 days from an urgent referral. This is published as management information and known as “Backlog of Patients waiting longer than 62 days from an urgent referral for suspected cancer”. No revisions have been made to the dataset. Any analysis of the data should be undertaken with this in mind.  Note that whilst this data is collected weekly, it is published monthly.

The CWT dataset in contrast has been published since late 2009 and reports on information on the waiting times of people referred with suspected cancer or breast symptoms and subsequently told the outcome of their diagnosis, and treated for cancer. This dataset is used to monitor the performance of the NHS, and individual providers, against the 3 operational CWT standards.

Backlog-of-patients-waiting-longer-than-62-days-from-urgent-GP-referral-for-suspected-cancer

Next publication Thursday 13th November 2025 for data to end of September 2025.