New online Smart Map shows progress in UK lung cancer care

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Oct 7 2015

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation (RCLCF) today launches a new online Smart Map that shows how standards of lung cancer care vary throughout the UK.(1) The resource, available at http://www.roycastle.org/how-we-help/our-campaigns/improving-treatment-and-care/interactive-map, is based on the latest research by the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA), published in December 2014.2 This shows encouraging improvements have been made in standards of lung cancer care across multiple UK regions.

The figures show that nursing has been a key area of improvement: 83.9% of patients in England and Wales were able to benefit from care by a specialist cancer nurse in 2013*,(2) compared with only 79.9% in 2011.(3) Lung Cancer Nurse Specialists can assist patients navigating through complex treatment regimens and provide support to assist daily living following the impact of diagnosis.(4)

Despite these improvements, significant challenges and variations in care still exist across the country. For example, while surgical treatment represents the best chance to cure the disease, only 15.1% of patients with lung cancer (at any disease stage) are receiving surgery.(1,2) For patients with early stage lung cancer – when surgery is most likely to cure the disease – the number of patients receiving surgical treatment ranges from 33.3% to 62.9% across England.(1,2)

Lorraine Dallas, Director of Patient Information and Support at RCLCF said: “Since RCLCF was founded 25 years ago, we have seen great improvements to patient care in local cancer services across the UK. While these successes should be recognised, more needs to be done. This Smart Map shows that, in some areas, too few people are able to receive surgery, which offers the best chance of curing their disease. We call for further improvements to lung cancer services to ensure that all patients enjoy the best treatment and care available, no matter where they live in the UK”.

Regional variations included the Thames Valley region, in which 85.4% of patients were tested to determine their lung cancer type, compared with the national average of 75.1%.(1,2) Furthermore, 65.7% of patients gained access to anti-cancer treatment compared with the national average of 60.2%.(1,2) Elsewhere, 99.6% of patients in Wales received treatment by an expert multidisciplinary team compared with the English average of 95.4%.(1,2)

In comparison, only 69.4% of patients were tested to determine their lung cancer type in the Cheshire and Merseyside region, and only 53.0% of patients gained access to anti-cancer treatment in the South East.(1,2) Furthermore, only 88.8% of patients in Cheshire and Merseyside received treatment by an expert multidisciplinary team.(1,2)

To address these differences, RCLCF calls for variations in service provision to be investigated locally and for appropriate strategies for improvement to be implemented to ensure patients receive the best treatment and care wherever they live.

The lung cancer Smart Map has been developed to allow people affected by lung cancer to review standards of lung cancer services in their region and to compare local standards with national averages. The resource includes the option to directly compare one region with another to determine where the best outcomes have been achieved. It is hoped that this information will further support lung cancer patients in their discussions with healthcare professionals and will enable them to make informed decisions to ensure that they receive the best care available. Understanding diagnosis and treatment available and why they are being offered can make a difference to patients’ wellbeing.

Commenting on the launch of the Smart Map, Dr Ian Woolhouse, Senior Clinical Lead, National Lung Cancer Audit, said: “The launch of the new Smart Map is a valuable expansion of the data the National Lung Cancer Audit has collected. By highlighting best practice and enabling the public to better understand the performance of services, this new resource can support further improvements to the quality of lung cancer care in the UK.”

The burden of lung cancer in the UK is significant; the disease remains the biggest cancer killer of men and women with around 44,000 new cases diagnosed every year.(5) While survival rates are increasing, the UK is still among the lowest in Europe and trailing behind some other European countries.(6)

The Smart Map can be found at: http://www.roycastle.org/how-we-help/our-campaigns/improving-treatment-and-care/interactive-map

About Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation aims to beat the biggest cancer killer.

The charity was set up in 1990 and named after TV presenter and entertainer Roy Castle, after he was diagnosed with the disease. In the last months of his life raised £1million to fund research to beat lung cancer.

Today they continue his legacy by funding research to stop lung cancer being diagnosed too late to be cured, making life better for the thousands of people living with lung cancer and stopping children becoming smokers to prevent the next generation getting lung cancer. This year the charity celebrates its 25th anniversary.

About the National Lung Cancer Audit

The National Lung Cancer Audit is the most comprehensive review of lung cancer services that has been undertaken in the UK. The latest published audit used data collected on 39,203 patients in Great Britain, representing approximately 100% of lung cancer cases presenting to hospitals (secondary care).(2)

The audit, which the NHS Information Centre began ten years ago, has helped drive improvements in care by providing hospital trusts with vital information about their performance and how they compare to others. The most recent data, on which the RCLCF Smart Map is based, comes from the National Lung Cancer Audit Report 2014, which was developed by the NHS Information Centre in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians, and commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. The audit is now managed entirely by the Royal College of Physicians.

About Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death for both men and women in the UK with around 44,000 new lung cancer cases diagnosed each year.(5) Of these patients, around a third will survive a year and only about 5% will survive ten years. Lung cancer kills around 4,000 more women every year than breast cancer and accounts for more male cancer deaths than prostate, pancreatic and stomach cancer combined.(6)

The development of the Smart Map has been supported by Roche Products Ltd. This press release and distribution to the media has also been supported by Roche.

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