CANCER OR SYMPTOMATIC BREAST REFERRAL PATIENT STATUS is recorded to enable tracking of the status of REFERRAL REQUESTS for PATIENTS referred with a suspected cancer, or referred with breast symptoms with cancer not originally suspected.

Where a diagnosis of cancer is subsequently made, data on First Definitive Treatment and subsequent treatments should be recorded for PATIENTS receiving treatment within the NHS in England.  English NHS in this context refers to Health Care Provider ORGANISATIONS within England who are treating PATIENTS with cancer (where the PATIENTS have NHS NUMBERS which exist on the Patient Demographic Service database, and which can be used within the National Cancer Waiting Times Monitoring Data Set for transmission purposes) who may have been referred from outside England.  Further details can be found in Department of Health guidance at  Cancer Waiting Times Documentation and Links.

Where PATIENTS with a diagnosis of cancer do NOT receive treatment within the NHS in England, or where the diagnosed condition is not within the Department of Health list of cancer conditions (see Department of Health  guidance at Cancer Waiting Times Documentation and Links), further data need not be collected.

The classification has been listed in logical sequence rather than numeric order.

National Codes:

Note 1:  National Code 09 - Under investigation following symptomatic referral, cancer not suspected (breast referrals only) should only be used when the TWO WEEK WAIT CANCER OR SYMPTOMATIC BREAST REFERRAL TYPE is National Code 16 - Exhibited (non-cancer) breast symptoms - cancer not initially suspected.

This attribute is also known by these names:

Context	Alias
formerly	CANCER STATUS
plural	CANCER OR SYMPTOMATIC BREAST REFERRAL PATIENT STATUSES