According to results of the latest National Lung Cancer Audit 2010, the most comprehensive audit to date on the disease, there has been an increase of over 50% over the past five years in the number of patients with lung cancer who have surgery. These findings suggest that more clinical teams have developed the expertise to assess patients of borderline fitness for surgery and have access to more complex surgical techniques.
The Audit also identifies the unsatisfactory shortage of specialist lung nurses. Lung cancer patients who see a specialist cancer nurse are more than twice as likely to receive active treatment for the disease as those who do not. The annual study, which gathers data from every NHS acute trust in the UK, shows “patients seen by a lung cancer nurse specialist were more likely to receive cancer treatment compared to those that were not seen. Of patients seen by a lung cancer nurse specialist, 64.8% went on to receive treatment, compared with just 30.4% of patients who did not see a specialist nurse. Only three-quarters of lung cancer patients were seen by a specialist nurse, while just 43.7% had a specialist nurse present at diagnosis. The audit identified and highlighted that improved access to clinical lung nurse specialists needs to be addressed.
The National Lung Cancer Audit, published by the NHS Information Centre on 23 May, showed there are still wide variations in the level of treatment patients receive.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/cancer/specialist-nurses-boost-care-for-lung-cancer-patients/5030101.article
National Lung Cancer Audit Report 2010 (reference number 03020211) (pdf 1.7MB)
The Audit also identifies the unsatisfactory shortage of specialist lung nurses. Lung cancer patients who see a specialist cancer nurse are more than twice as likely to receive active treatment for the disease as those who do not. The annual study, which gathers data from every NHS acute trust in the UK, shows “patients seen by a lung cancer nurse specialist were more likely to receive cancer treatment compared to those that were not seen. Of patients seen by a lung cancer nurse specialist, 64.8% went on to receive treatment, compared with just 30.4% of patients who did not see a specialist nurse. Only three-quarters of lung cancer patients were seen by a specialist nurse, while just 43.7% had a specialist nurse present at diagnosis. The audit identified and highlighted that improved access to clinical lung nurse specialists needs to be addressed.
The National Lung Cancer Audit, published by the NHS Information Centre on 23 May, showed there are still wide variations in the level of treatment patients receive.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/cancer/specialist-nurses-boost-care-for-lung-cancer-patients/5030101.article
National Lung Cancer Audit Report 2010 (reference number 03020211) (pdf 1.7MB)
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