The Christie is the largest single site cancer centre in Europe and the first in the UK to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre.

In 2024/25, 82% of our patients lived in Greater Manchester, High Peak, or areas of Cheshire. A further 9,100 patients travelled from other areas of the UK.

A graphic showing that in 2024/25, The Christie saw 51,600 patients at one of The Christie outpatient sites. A map shows that 11.2% of patients live in the Manchester locality, 10.8% live in Stockport, 9.6% live in Tameside, 7.6% live in Bolton, 8.2% live in Wigan, 7.3% live in Trafford, 5.8% live in Oldham, 5.9% live in Rochdale, 5.6% live in Salford, 5.4% live in Bury, 15.7% live in Cheshire East, 3.5% live in High Peak and 3.6% in Cheshire West and Chester.

Gender

51,600 male and female patients (new and follow up) attended at least one outpatient clinic appointment this year. The most common cancers the Trust treats are prostate, breast, haematological and lower gastrointestinal (LGI) cancers. The average age of our patients is 66 years with 40% being over 70 years.  In England, in 2020, over half (56%) of all new cancers were diagnosed in people aged 70 years and over, according to NHS England Cancer Registration Statistics.

Patient Age Breakdown A graph showing a breakdown of Christie patients by disease group. The most common cancer types are prostate cancers seen in 13% of our patients and breast cancers seen in 11% of patients. Haematological cancers are seen in 10% of patients, lower gastric intestinal cancers are seen in 9% of patients, melanoma is seen in 7% of patients, gynaecological cancers are seen in 6% of patients, lung cancers are seen in 6% of patients, endocrinology cancers and other endocrinology related issues are seen in 7% of patients, head and neck cancers are seen in 5% of patients, non-prostate urological cancers are seen in 5% of patients, neuro-oncology cancers are seen in 3% of patients, sarcomas are seen in 3% of patients, non-melanoma skin cancers are seen in 2% of patients, other very rare cancers and benign tumours are seen in 3% of patients, oesophageal cancers are seen in 2% of patients, hepatobiliary tract cancers are seen in 1% of patients, and germ cell tumours are seen in 1% of patients.

Female patients

49% of the patients we treat are female, of whom 60% are 60 years or older. The most common cancers we treat for female patients are breast and gynaecological cancers.

A graphic showing that 49% of Christie patients were female. Among female patients who attended outpatient appointments this year, the average age was 64 years. 1% of patients are less than 10 years old, 1% of patients are between 10 and 19 years, 3% are between 20 and 29 years, 7% are between 30 and 39 years, 11% are between 40 and 49 years, 19% are between 50 and 59 years, 23% are between 60 and 69 years, 22% are between 70 and 79 years 11% are between 80 and 89 years, and 1% are  90 years and over. A graphic showing the breakdown by disease group for female patients at The Christie. The most common cancer type seen in our female patients is breast cancer seen in 23% of female patients. Gynaecological cancers are seen in 12% of female patients, haematological cancers are seen in 9% of female patients, lower gastric intestinal cancers are seen in 8% of female patients, lung cancers are seen in 7% of female patients, melanoma is seen in 7% of female patients, endocrinology cancers and other endocrinology related issues are seen in 6% of female patients, head and neck cancers are seen in 4% of female patients, other very rare cancers and benign tumours are seen in 4% of female patients, neuro-oncology cancers are seen in 3% of female patients, sarcomas are seen in 3% of female patients, neuroendocrine cancers are seen in 2% of female patients, urological cancers are seen in 2% of female patients, oesophageal cancers are seen in 1% of female patients, hepatobiliary tract cancers are seen in 1% of female patients, and non-melanoma skin cancers are seen in 1% of female patients.

Male patients

51% of the patients we treat are male, of whom 70% are 60 years or older. The most common cancers we treat for males are prostate and haematological.

A graphic showing that 51% of Christie patients were male. Among male patients who attended outpatient appointments this year, the average age was 68 years. 1% of patients are less than 10 years old, 2% of patients are between 10 and 19 years, 3% are between 20 and 29 years, 4% are between 30 and 39 years, 7% are between 40 and 49 years, 13% are between 50 and 59 years, 26% are between 60 and 69 years, 31% are between 70 and 79 years, 12% are between 80 and 89 years, and 1% are over 90 years old. A graphic showing that 51% of Christie patients were male. Among male patients who attended outpatient appointments this year, the average age was 68 years. 1% of patients are less than 10 years old, 2% of patients are between 10 and 19 years, 3% are between 20 and 29 years, 4% are between 30 and 39 years, 7% are between 40 and 49 years, 13% are between 50 and 59 years, 26% are between 60 and 69 years, 31% are between 70 and 79 years, 12% are between 80 and 89 years, and 1% are over 90 years old.

NB: Endocrinology includes patients receiving care for endocrinology related issues as well as endocrine cancers.

Ethnicity

According to the ethnicity figures from the 2021 census and Gov.uk's UK population by ethnicity report, non-white minorities represent 23.6% of the Greater Manchester Population. 64% of our patients record themselves as the ethnicity category "White British" and 5% classify themselves as one of the non-white ethnic minority categories.

The differences between our Christie population and the Greater Manchester population may, at least in part, be due to a lower level of ethnicity data capture for our ethnic minority patents. 

A graph showing that among The Christie patient population, 64.3% of patients classify themselves as white, 2.6% of patients classify themselves as Asian, 1.1% of patients classify themselves as mixed ethnicity, 0.3% of patients classify themselves as Black, 1.0% of patients classify themselves as Chinese or another ethnic group and 2.1% of patients decline to provide an ethnicity status.

Data completeness for ethnicity is 70%

Religion

According to religious demographics from the 2021 census, the largest religious group in Greater Manchester is Christian who account for 47% of the population followed by Muslim, with 13% of the population.

Among our current patients, 41% are Christian and 2% are Muslim, with 10% reporting having no religion. However, there is a significant proportion of patients who have not disclosed their religion.

A graph showing that for Christie patients who attended an outpatient appointment this year, 41% report themselves as Christian, 10% indicated they have no religion, 2% are Muslim, less than 1% are Jewish, less than 1% are Hindu, less than 1% are Buddhist, less than 1% are Sikh, and less than 1% declined to answer. Text underneath the graph reads that data completeness for religion is 55.6%.

Sexuality

According to the 2021 census sexual orientation statistics, 3.1% of the UK population (aged 16 years and over) describe themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or other sexual orientation. Among our patients less than 1% are recorded as being lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGBTQ). However, there is a significant proportion of patients who have not disclosed their sexuality.

A graph showing that for Christie patients who attended an outpatient appointment this year, 10% report themselves as straight or heterosexual, 0.2% indicated they are LGBTQ+ and 0.3% declined to answer. Text underneath the graph reads that data completeness for sexuality is 10.16%.

Deprivation

35% of our patients live in the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester. Our measure of deprivation is based on the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). IMD is the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas in England. The IMD combines information from the 7 domains to produce an overall relative measure of deprivation (see the English Indices of Deprivation 2019 FAQs for more).

A graph showing a breakdown of Christie patients by deprivation. Deprivation scores are commonly divided into deciles ranging from 1 being the most deprived to 10 being the least deprived. 15% of patients fall into the 1st decile i.e. the most deprived category, 10% fall into the 2nd decile, 10% fall into the 3rd decile, 8% fall into the 4th decile, 8% fall into the 5th decile, 8% fall into the 6th decile, 9% fall into the 7th decile, 11% fall into the 8th decile, 10% fall into the 9th decile, and 11% fall into the 10th decile i.e. the least deprived.

Clinical outcomes: 30-day mortality post systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT)

The Christie has similar 30-day mortality post systemic anti-cancer treatments (SACT) to the national average for all 3 cancer types evaluated (these are prostate, renal and breast). This data is produced by NHS England using data submitted by all NHS providers in England each month. Data is currently only available for 3 cancer types (please note: these evaluations are based on very small numbers of deaths).

A bar chart showing the 30-day adjusted mortality rates for post systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT). At The Christie, prostate cancer has a 30-day adjusted mortality rate of 4.1% with a lower 2 standard deviation of 2.5% and an upper 2 standard deviation of 5.8%. This is similar to the national average of 4.2%. At The Christie, renal cancer has a 30-day adjusted mortality rate of 12.6% with a lower 2standard deviation of 9.1% and an upper 2 standard deviation of  15.7%. Again, this is similar to the national average of 12.4%. At The Christie, breast cancer has a 30-day adjusted mortality rate of 1.8% with a lower 2 standard deviation of 1.3 and an upper 2 standard deviation of 2.7%. This is also similar to the national average of 2%.

Methodology

The patient profile data was produced by the Clinical Outcomes and Data Unit (CODU) at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. It has been created using data provided by NHS patients who had at least one outpatient clinic appointment at The Christie between April 2024 and March 2025. This includes new patients and those on treatment or follow-up.

Demographic data available here is predominantly generated from the ‘patient registration form’ provided to patients at the point of their first appointment at The Christie. The provision of these data by patients, at the point of registration, is optional. We also receive some data from general practitioners and other providers as part of the patient referral. Some protected characteristics, such as ethnicity, religion, disabilities and sexual orientation, have higher levels of missing data which is a recognized limitation of the information presented here.

The Christie is currently implementing several initiatives to improve the data collection process and engagement with all our patients.

Our gender data reflects the gender patients identify as - we currently don't capture biological sex in our demographic data.

The 30-day mortality post systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT) data is national data from the NDRS report 30-day mortality post-Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy - Case-Mix Adjusted Rates - NDRS for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer who received treatment between 2020 and 2022, for patients diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma who received treatment between 2019 and 2022 and for patients diagnosed with breast cancer who received treatment in 2021. Error bars represent 2 standard deviations.

Why are we asking for more information about you?

At The Christie, we want to make sure our care is the best it can be for everyone. To help us do that, we’re asking all patients to fully complete their registration form, called the contact and services form.

This includes patients who are new to The Christie, as well as those who have already visited us. Even if you’ve shared some of this information before, we may need to check that it’s up to date and complete.

What is the contact and services form?

This is a short registration form that asks about your background, including your age, sex, ethnic group, religion, sexual orientation and any disabilities. These are known as protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Why do you need this information?

Information on the contact and services form helps us understand who our patients are, so we can meet different needs and offer better support. It also helps us check that everyone is getting equal access to care and identify where improvements are needed.

Do I need to answer every question?

Yes. All questions must be completed, but if there’s something you’d prefer not to share, you can select ‘prefer not to say’. This lets us know you’ve made a choice, rather than leaving a question unanswered. It also means we won’t ask you again for that information.

Completing the form in full helps us keep your records accurate and provide more personalised, inclusive care. It also supports our legal responsibilities and follows NHS guidance on how this data should be collected.

Don’t you already have these details?

You may have filled out a similar form when registering with your GP or when you first came to The Christie.

However, we want to make sure the information we hold is current and accurate. Not all data from your GP is shared with us automatically, and some of it may have changed.

Patients with missing information will receive a text message linking to a secure form where they can update their protected characteristics.

We’re asking you directly so we can update your records and provide the best possible care.

Is my data safe?

Yes. Your information is stored securely and handled in line with NHS data protection rules, just like your medical records.

Why does it matter?

By completing the contact and services form, you’re helping us make our care better for everyone.

It might help us call you by the right name, tailor the information we send to suit you better, or make arrangements like providing an interpreter or accessible space when you visit.

Patient stories

Many patients tell us that sharing this information has helped them feel better supported. You can read some of their experiences below.

Winston's story

A photo of Christie patient Winston Carrington

Winston Carrington was treated for prostate cancer at The Christie. He is also a member of our hospital, helping to develop and improve our services.

“Although there are obviously lots of similarities in the way people from different ethnic backgrounds experience cancer, there are also many differences. Black men, for example, are twice as likely to develop cancer than white men. Raising awareness of this is something I’m passionate about and I’ve been part of a campaign to encourage other black men to be more aware of their prostate health.

"Research from Cancer Research UK also tells us people from minority ethnic groups report worse experiences of cancer care and lower survival for some cancer types. By telling The Christie more about who you are, you are helping the team to better understand and address these issues, as well as provide better, more personalised care.”

Kat's story

A photo of Christie patient Kat Watson-Wood wearing a skydiving outfit; the bottom right-hand corner reads 'Black Knights Skydiving Centre'.

Kat Watson-Wood had a brain tumour as a child and was treated with radiotherapy at The Christie. She still comes in for a check-up once a year.

“The treatment I had affected how part of my brain works and, as a result, I walk with a crutch and have problems with my memory.

"I’m proud of being disabled and am involved with the disability network at work so I can help others. It’s important that we share information about things like disability with The Christie team so they can make sure that the care they provide is as inclusive and accessible as possible.

"I’m also involved in research that’s looking at how we can minimise side effects in children having radiotherapy for brain tumours. Cancer affects different people in different ways, so by sharing your diversity data you could also be helping the team to understand what research is needed to make cancer treatment and care better for everyone.”