Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy activity

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) reports on systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) activity across NHS services in Scotland. Treatment activity includes the weekly number of appointments and the monthly and annual number of appointments and patients receiving treatment. The data has been visualised on a dashboard on the PHS website.

SACT activity is an important indicator that is used for service planning. It is driven by demand and capacity of SACT services. SACT activity data were originally developed as part of the PHS Covid Wider Impacts dashboard to monitor activity levels across Scotland and to identify pressures on the cancer service delivery.

This publication includes treatment activity for all patients over the age of 16 who were prescribed treatment in secondary care in Scotland. All treatments recorded on a Chemotherapy Electronic Prescribing and Administration System (CEPAS) are included in the data. This includes SACT and non-SACT activity. SACT drugs include cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapies and immunotherapy. Non-SACT drugs include hormonal therapy, steroids and other supportive medicines. Treatments for non-cancer diagnoses are presented as "other conditions". Treatments that are not recorded on CEPAS are not included in the data. Due to differences in prescribing practices across different regions we advise against making direct comparisons between multiple regions.

The main purpose of the CEPAS systems is to support safe prescribing and administration of SACT for cancer patients. This is a dynamic process and data are subject change.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be 6 June 2024.