National Prostate Cancer Audit Short Report 2021: Using the Cambridge Prognostic Groups in the NPCA

Currently, the risk associated with a man’s prostate cancer is classified as low-, intermediate- or high-risk. A new stratification tool (the Cambridge Prognostic Grouping, CPG) classifies men into five categories based on more detailed information about the clinical features of their disease. These classifications help inform the decisions made about the management of men’s prostate cancer. This tool will be used to classify men’s prostate cancer risk in future National Prostate Cancer Audit reporting.

This report aims to show the impact of using the new way of stratifying the risk of prostate cancer on the way that potential ‘over-treatment’ is measured in the NPCA. Using English and Welsh hospital data from previous audits, this report shows how the new CPG compares to the current risk stratification. It shows that more men are placed in the lowest risk (CPG1) category compared to the current low-risk group, but that the characteristics of the men (such as age and deprivation) are similar across these tiers. The proportion of men potentially ‘over-treated’ goes up (from 4% of men in the low-risk group to 10% in CPG1), but it also highlights the variation between providers more clearly, with more providers being identified as outside the expected range, potentially leading to further improvements in the quality of care.

You can read the report by clicking on the link below.

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