Information-sharing tool aims to boost cancer fight

Cancer Commissioning Tool should help health planners improve cancer strategies

Arming clinicians with more cancer data

Hospitals across the UK are to begin using a pioneering information-sharing system that it is hoped will help in the fight against cancer.

The Cancer Commissioning Tool (CCT) will help Primary Care Trust managers plan cancer treatment strategies by providing them with benchmark data on the potential of new treatments.

"I am convinced a lot of positive results will flow from the CCT," said Richard Hancox, associate director of commissioning at Department of Health taskforce the National Cancer Action Team.

Historically, cancer treatments have generated significant volumes of data – from the effectiveness of individual drugs to quality of service indicators, such as waiting times. However, this data was held in multiple locations, making it difficult for those planning cancer-fighting strategies to assess the information.

The CCT system uses data management tools to bring all that information together, making it easier for clinicians to access and search. The development of the CCT was led by the National Cancer Action Team, working in conjunction with data management consultancy Concentra.