Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCSU)

The Welsh Cancer Intelligence & Surveillance Unit (WCISU) is the National Cancer Registry for Wales and its primary role is to record, store and report on all incidence of cancer for the resident population of Wales wherever they are treated. Cancer registration in Wales began almost five decades ago and today’s electronic database which holds records going back to 1972 contains in the region of 686,000 records. WCISU collects data about occurrences of cancer in Welsh residents via direct or indirect submissions from Welsh Hospitals. Staging of malignant melanoma (ICD 10 code C43), breast (C50), colorectal (C18-C20) and cervix (C53) started in 2001 since this was when we started receiving pathological information. Staging for all other cancers started in 2010. Treatment information started in 1995. The WCISU team at Public Health Wales provide publicly available official statistics on cancer incidence in Wales from 2002 for all cancers excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. Statistics are available by cancer type, sex, area of residence, stage at diagnosis, area deprivation and UK comparisons, at: https://publichealthwales.shinyapps.io/Cancer_Reporting_Tool_PHW