Lung cancer

Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of all forms of cancer in the western world and there is evidence that the UK's survival rates compare poorly with those in the rest of Europe. There is also evidence that, in the UK, standards of care differ widely.

The audit was set up in response to The NHS Cancer Plan, to monitor the introduction and effectiveness of cancer services.

Aims of the audit

There are four main areas relating to lung cancer, which, if properly addressed, could have a significant impact on the occurrence and outcomes of the disease, but the core issue to be addressed in the first phase of the audit is referral for specialist therapy.

The audit aims to identify:

• the proportion of patients diagnosed with lung cancer referred for specialist therapies (including specialist surgical resection, radical and palliative radiotherapy, chemotherapy and specialist palliative care) across England and to use this information to identify the likely causes of the variation in treatment rates.

Organisation of the audit  

The NHS Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and the Royal College of Physicians, in partnership with the Intercollegiate Lung Cancer Group and the English cancer registries. The National Clinical Audit Support Programme (NCASP) at the HSCIC has been contracted to provide IT infrastructure and project management services.

The National Clinical Audit Support Programme at the NHS Information Centre

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