OBJECTIVES: Since July 2016, NICE took over responsibility for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) in England, which contained 25 drugs for 35 indications. NICE is currently evaluating all existing treatments in the CDF to determine their cost-effectiveness and if they should be recommended for use by NHS England; retained in the CDF to gather additional evidence or not recommended. This study investigates NICE’s evaluation of existing CDF treatments and its potential impact on funding and patient access. METHODS: Publicly available data sources were analyzed to determine the outcome of the 35 on-going NICE evaluations for oncology indications previously funded through the CDF. Information was collected on the stage of the evaluation process for each product and the outcome of the NICE assessment (recommended; recommended for use in CDF; not recommended). RESULTS: Of the 35 indications, manufacturers agreed to receive transition CDF funding for 34 indications whilst NICE undertakes an evaluation of their treatments. To date, 19 indications have been assessed of which treatments for 12 indications were recommended for NHS use, with seven indications not being recommended. Of the positive recommendations, nine were only recommended on condition of a patient access scheme and four with a restricted patient population. Only one indication was recommended for use within the CDF to generate additional evidence within a two-year deadline. The remaining 15 indications will be reviewed before December 2017. CONCLUSIONS:  NICE is using cost effectiveness as an assessment criteria for treatments entering the CDF, resulting in limited patient access through removal of some treatments previously funded by the CDF. The removal of treatments for seven indications implies that collation of additional evidence is unlikely to make these treatments cost-effective. Access to the CDF will only occur if there is a realistic chance that additional evidence will reduce the uncertainty of their cost effectiveness.