The number of lung cancer patients receiving life saving surgery has increased by 50% in the past five years in the UK, reports the National Lung Cancer Audit 2010.

The audit -managed by the NHS Information Centre in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians and commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership –provides clear evidence that standards of care have improved in lung cancer.

Lung cancer, which kills more people in the UK than any other form of cancer, is often diagnosed at an advanced stage with the consequence that up to three quarters of patients are not suitable for surgery.  The audit, which collected data on 37,637 patients in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, showed  that about one in seven patients now has surgery compared to one in 11 five years  ago.

The recent improvement in the rate of surgery, say the authors, suggest that more clinical teams now have the expertise to assess patients of borderline fitness for surgery and that access to more complex surgical techniques has become available.

Other key changes over the last five years identified in the report include:

• The number of lung patients receiving any active anti-cancer treatment rising from 54 % to 66.5%.
• The number of lung cancer patients undergoing a CT scans prior to bronchoscopy rising from 74.2% to 91.5%.
• The number undergoing diagnosis by tissue biopsy rising from 70.9% to 85.2%.
• The number of patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer receiving chemotherapy rising from 52.7% to 79.8%.

It is thought that the audit itself has been a factor driving improvements in care by providing health care staff with vital information about their performance and how they compare to others.

“It’s a tribute to the ongoing work of all lung cancer specialist teams across the country that we now have such excellent data on the care of lung cancer patients in the UK,” said Dr Mick Peake, clinical lead for the National Cancer Intelligence Network. Wide variation however, he added still exists in the standards of care offered by different hospitals.” “We need to continue to strive to bring the care in all units up to the standard of the best,” he said.

Reference

National Lung Cancer Audit 2010. Published 2011. The NHS Information Centre 2011. Document reference: IC03020211.