The 11th annual report of the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA), published today by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), reveals that despite significant progress in lung cancer care during the first 5 years of the audit, very little has changed since then.
Surgery offers the best chance of a cure for lung cancer patients. However, the audit demonstrates that since 2010, the proportion of lung cancer patients treated with surgery has not improved from 15%. Furthermore, this can vary across the country from 10 to 24% and this difference does not appear to be due to the patients’ background, age or stage of lung cancer.
The RCP has brought together a new team of lung cancer experts to improve lung cancer care over the next 5 years. The team has set higher standards that take into account the use of new treatments for lung cancer. These treatments specifically targeting lung cancer cells without harming normal lung and tissue, allow more patients to receive them safely. The team will also undertake detailed reviews in areas where lung cancer treatments are underused.
The full report can be found at: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/nlca2015
Participation in the audit by lung cancer services in England, Guernsey, Scotland and Wales have been outstanding, collectively contributing data on 37,000 patients diagnosed with the disease in 2014.
Dr Ian Woolhouse, senior clinical lead for the NLCA, said:
I am encouraged by the continued participation and support of the audit by lung cancer services across the country. However, now is the time to take lung cancer care to the next level by ensuring that all lung cancer patients receive the most up-to-date treatments so that the UK can achieve the outcomes currently reported internationally.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK after breast cancer. In 2012, there were over 44,000 new cases of lung cancer in the UK and more than 35,000 people died from the condition. Current survival rates for lung cancer are the second lowest out of 20 common cancers in England and Wales (CRUK, 2015).
The NLCA is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). The NLCA aims to review the quality of lung cancer care, highlight areas for improvement and reduce variation in practice. It is managed by the Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit of the RCP, working in partnership with nurses who specialise in lung cancer care, surgeons, oncologists, public health workers, academics, and patients through the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.*
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Joanna Morgan, communications manager, RCP Care Quality Improvement Department on 020 3075 1354.
Further information on the NLCA programme can be found at: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/nlca or email: nlca@rcplondon.ac.uk
CRUK, 2015: www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-cancer, accessed November 2015
*Partnership organisations:
British Thoracic Oncology Society – is a UK lung cancer and mesothelioma research group that aims to improve the care of patients with thoracic malignancies through multidisciplinary education and clinical and scientific research. Further information is available at: www.btog.org
National Cancer Registration Service – is run by Public Health England and is responsible for cancer registration that has been an integral part of the NHS for over 50 years. Further information is available at: www.ncr.nhs.uk
National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses – established in 1999 to provide networking and support to nurses specialising in the care of people with lung cancer. Further information is available at: www.nlcfn.org.uk
National Specialist Advisory Group for Lung Cancer Wales – provides all Wales clinical specialist advice on cancer in Wales. Further information is available at: www.wales.nhs.uk
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – is a registered charity, whose mission is to beat lung cancer by funding innovative world-class research and aims, through early detection and patient experience, to make a significant impact on lung cancer for the benefit of patients. Further information is available at: www.roycastle.org/about
Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery – the representative body for cardiothoracic surgery in Great Britain and Ireland, which aims to continuously improve the quality of healthcare. Further information is available at: www.scts.org
University of Nottingham – provides methodological and analytical support to the NLCA. Further information is available at: www.nottingham.ac.uk
Commissioner: The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) is led by a consortium of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of Nursing and National Voices. Its aim is to promote quality improvement, and in particular to increase the impact that clinical audit has on healthcare quality in England and Wales. HQIP holds the contract to manage and develop the National Clinical Audit Programme, comprising more than 30 clinical audits that cover care provided to people with a wide range of medical, surgical and mental health conditions. The programme is funded by NHS England, the Welsh government and, with some individual audits, also funded by the Health Department of the Scottish government, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. www.hqip.org.uk