British Gynaecological Cancer Society Recommendations for Evidence Based, Population Data Derived Quality Performance Indicators for Ovarian Cancer

Cancers (Basel). 2023 Jan 4;15(2):337. doi: 10.3390/cancers15020337.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer survival in the UK lags behind comparable countries. Results from the ongoing National Ovarian Cancer Audit feasibility pilot (OCAFP) show that approximately 1 in 4 women with advanced ovarian cancer (Stage 2, 3, 4 and unstaged cancer) do not receive any anticancer treatment and only 51% in England receive international standard of care treatment, i.e., the combination of surgery and chemotherapy. The audit has also demonstrated wide variation in the percentage of women receiving anticancer treatment for advanced ovarian cancer, be it surgery or chemotherapy across the 19 geographical regions for organisation of cancer delivery (Cancer Alliances). Receipt of treatment also correlates with survival: 5 year Cancer survival varies from 28.6% to 49.6% across England. Here, we take a systems wide approach encompassing both diagnostic pathways and cancer treatment, derived from the whole cohort of women with ovarian cancer to set out recommendations and quality performance indicators (QPI). A multidisciplinary panel established by the British Gynaecological Cancer Society carefully identified QPI against criteria: metrics selected were those easily evaluable nationally using routinely available data and where there was a clear evidence base to support interventions. These QPI will be valuable to other taxpayer funded systems with national data collection mechanisms and are to our knowledge the only population level data derived standards in ovarian cancer. We also identify interventions for Best practice and Research recommendations.

Keywords: British Gynaecological cancer society; ovarian cancer; population data; quality performance indicators.

Publication types

  • Guideline

Grants and funding

No funding was obtained to support this manuscript. The manuscript utilized findings generated in the Ovarian cancer audit feasibility pilot. The Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot was funded by three charities—British Gynaecological Cancer Society, Ovarian Cancer Action and Target Ovarian Cancer. The funds supported a data analyst employed by the not-for-profit company Health Data Insight who conducted this work within the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS).