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Survival from lung cancer has seen only modest improvements in recent decades. Poor outcomes are linked to late presentation, yet early diagnosis can be challenging as lung cancer symptoms are common and non-specific. In this paper, we examine how lung cancer presents in primary care and review roles for primary care in reducing the burden from this disease. Reducing rates of smoking remains, by far, the key strategy, but primary care practitioners (PCPs) should also be pro-active in raising awareness of symptoms, ensuring lung cancer risk data are collected accurately and encouraging reluctant patients to present. PCPs should engage in service re-design and identify more streamlined diagnostic pathways—and more readily incorporate decision support into their consulting, based on validated lung cancer risk models. Finally, PCPs should ensure they are central to recruitment in future lung cancer screening programmes—they are uniquely placed to ensure the right people are targeted for risk-based screening programmes. We are now in an era where treatments can make a real difference in early-stage lung tumours, and genuine progress is being made in this devastating illness—full engagement of primary care is vital in effecting these improvements in outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Histological diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma requires an invasive procedure such as CT-guided needle biopsy, thoracoscopy, video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATs) or thoracotomy. These invasive procedures encourage tumour cell seeding at the intervention site and patients can develop tumour nodules within the chest wall. In an effort to prevent nodules developing, it has been widespread practice across Europe to irradiate intervention sites postprocedure--a practice known as prophylactic irradiation of tracts (PIT). To date there has not been a suitably powered randomised trial to determine whether PIT is effective at reducing the risk of chest wall nodule development. Methods and analysis: In this multicentre phase III randomised controlled superiority trial, 374 patients who can receive radiotherapy within 42 days of a chest wall intervention will be randomised to receive PIT or no PIT. Patients will be randomised on a 1:1 basis. Radiotherapy in the PIT arm will be 21 Gy in three fractions. Subsequent chemotherapy is given at the clinicians' discretion. A reduction in the incidence of chest wall nodules from 15% to 5% in favour of radiotherapy 6 months after randomisation would be clinically significant. All patients will be followed up for up to 2 years with monthly telephone contact and at least four outpatient visits in the first year. Ethics and dissemination: PIT was approved by NRES Committee North West--Greater Manchester West (REC reference 12/NW/0249) and recruitment is currently on-going, the last patient is expected to be randomised by the end of 2015. The analysis of the primary end point, incidence of chest wall nodules 6 months after randomisation, is expected to be published in 2016 in a peer reviewed journal and results will also be presented at scientific meetings and summary results published online. A follow-up analysis is expected to be published in 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in young adults is a rare but devastating illness with significant socioeconomic implications, and studies of this patient subgroup are limited. Aim: This study employed the National Lung Cancer Audit to compare the clinical features and survival of young adults with NSCLC with the older age groups. Design: A retrospective cohort review using a validated national audit dataset. Methods: Data were analysed for the period between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2011. Young adults were defined as between 18 and 39 years, and all others were divided into decade age groups, up to the 80 years and above group. We performed logistic and Cox regression analyses to assess clinical outcomes. Results: Of a total of 1 46 422 patients, 651 (0.5%) were young adults, of whom a higher proportion had adenocarcinoma (48%) than in any other age group. Stage distribution of NSCLC was similar across the age groups and 71% of young patients had stage IIIb/IV. Performance status (PS) was 0-1 for 85%. Young adults were more likely to have surgery and chemotherapy compared with the older age groups and had better overall and post-operative survival. The proportion with adenocarcinoma, better PS and that receiving surgery or chemotherapy diminished progressively with advancing decade age groups. Conclusion: In our cohort of young adults with NSCLC, the majority had good PS despite the same late-stage disease as older patients. They were more likely to have treatment and survive longer than older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Survival rates in lung cancer in England are significantly lower than in many similar countries. A range of Be Clear on Cancer (BCOC) campaigns have been conducted targeting lung cancer and found to improve the proportion of diagnoses at the early stage of disease. This paper considers the cost-effectiveness of such campaigns, evaluating the effect of both the regional and national BCOC campaigns on the stage distribution of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at diagnosis.Methods:A natural history model of NSCLC was developed using incidence data, data elicited from clinical experts and model calibration techniques. This structure is used to consider the lifetime cost and quality-adjusted survival implications of the early awareness campaigns. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) in terms of additional costs per quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained are presented. Two scenario analyses were conducted to investigate the role of changes in the 'worried-well' population and the route of diagnosis that might occur as a result of the campaigns.Results:The base-case theoretical model found the regional and national early awareness campaigns to be associated with QALY gains of 289 and 178 QALYs and ICERs of £13 660 and £18 173 per QALY gained, respectively. The scenarios found that increases in the 'worried-well' population may impact the cost-effectiveness conclusions.Conclusions:Subject to the available evidence, the analysis suggests that early awareness campaigns in lung cancer have the potential to be cost-effective. However, significant additional research is required to address many of the limitations of this study. In addition, the estimated natural history model presents previously unavailable estimates of the prevalence and rate of disease progression in the undiagnosed population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Stage at diagnosis is a key predictor of overall cancer outcome. For the first time, stage completeness is high enough for robust analysis for the whole of England.Methods:We analysed data from the National Cancer Registration Service's (NCRS) Cancer Analysis System on persons diagnosed with breast, colorectal, lung, prostate or ovarian cancers in England in 2012. One-year relative survival (followed-up to the end of 2013) was calculated along with adjusted excess rate ratios, for mortality within 1 year.Results:One-year relative survival decreased with increasing stage at diagnosis. For breast, prostate and colorectal cancers survival showed a major reduction for stage 4 cancers, whereas for lung and ovarian cancers there were substantial decreases in relative survival for each level of increase in stage. Excess rate ratios for mortality within 1 year of diagnosis showed that stage and age were the most important cofactors, but they also identified the statistically significant effects of sex, income deprivation and geographic area of residence.Conclusions:Further reductions in mortality may be most effectively achieved by diagnosing all cancers before they progress to stage 4, but for lung and ovarian cancers there is also a need for a stage shift to earlier stages together with efforts to improve stage-specific survival at all stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction:Long-term lung cancer survival in England has improved little in recent years and is worse than many countries. The Department of Health funded a campaign to raise public awareness of persistent cough as a lung cancer symptom and encourage people with the symptom to visit their GP. This was piloted regionally within England before a nationwide rollout.Methods:To evaluate the campaign's impact, data were analysed for various metrics covering public awareness of symptoms and process measures, through to diagnosis, staging, treatment and 1-year survival (available for regional pilot only).Results:Compared with the same time in the previous year, there were significant increases in metrics including: public awareness of persistent cough as a lung cancer symptom; urgent GP referrals for suspected lung cancer; and lung cancers diagnosed. Most encouragingly, there was a 3.1 percentage point increase (P<0.001) in proportion of non-small cell lung cancer diagnosed at stage I and a 2.3 percentage point increase (P<0.001) in resections for patients seen during the national campaign, with no evidence these proportions changed during the control period (P=0.404, 0.425).Conclusions:To our knowledge, the data are the first to suggest a shift in stage distribution following an awareness campaign for lung cancer. It is possible a sustained increase in resections may lead to improved long-term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Results from the National Lung Cancer Audit demonstrate unexplained variation in outcomes. Peer review with supported quality improvement has been shown to reduce variation in other areas of health care but has not been formally tested in cancer multidisciplinary teams. The aim of the current study is to assess the impact of reciprocal peer-to-peer review visits with supported quality improvement and collaborative working on lung cancer process and outcome measures.Methods:English lung cancer teams were randomised to usual care or facilitated reciprocal peer review visits followed by 12 months of supported quality improvement. The primary outcome was change in the following national audit indicators; mulitdisciplinary team discussion, histological confirmation, active treatment, surgical resection, small-cell chemotherapy and specialist nurse review. Patient experience was measured using a new lung cancer patient questionnaire in the intervention group.Results:Thirty teams (31 trusts) entered the intervention group and 29 of these submitted a total of 67 quality improvement plans. Active treatment increased in the intervention group (n=31) by 5.2% compared with 1.2% in the control group (n=48, mean difference 4.1%, 95% CI −0.1 to 8.2%, P=0.055). The remaining audit indicators improved similarly in all groups. Mean patient experience scores in the intervention group did not change significantly during the study but a significant improvement was seen in the scores for the five teams with the worst baseline scores (0.86 to 0.22, P<0.001).Conclusions:Reciprocal peer review with supported quality improvement was feasible and effective in stimulating quality improvement activity but resulted in only modest improvements in lung cancer treatment rates and patient experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our aim was to systematically determine how features of patients and hospitals influence access to chemotherapy and survival for people with small-cell lung cancer in England.Methods: We linked the National Lung Cancer Audit and Hospital Episode Statistics and used multiple logistic and Cox regression analyses to assess the influence of patient and hospital features on small-cell lung cancer outcomes.Results: There were 7845 patients with histologically proven small-cell lung cancer. Sixty-one percent (4820) of the patients received chemotherapy. Increasing age, worsening performance status, extensive stage and greater comorbidity all reduced the likelihood of receiving chemotherapy. There was wide variation in access to chemotherapy between hospitals in general and patients first seen in centres with a strong interest in clinical trials had a higher odds of receiving chemotherapy (adjusted odds ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06, 1.90). Chemotherapy was associated with a lower mortality rate (adjusted hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.46, 0.56).Conclusion: Patients first seen at a hospital with a keen interest in clinical trials are more likely to receive chemotherapy, and chemotherapy was associated with improved survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Initial studies on the use of ultrasound in the detection and sampling of supraclavicular lymph nodes in patients with suspected lung cancer show this to be a promising technique, giving both a cytological diagnosis and pathological N3 (pN3) stage. Leicester published its initial experience in 2005 and the aim of this study was to establish if this had been embedded into the diagnostic pathway, and further to examine the use of ultrasound in diagnosing and staging lung cancer by imaging other areas including pleural effusions, chest wall, bone and liver lesions. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with lung cancer, registered on the Leicester lung cancer database over a two year period between January 2007 and December 2008, had their imaging and pathology retrospectively reviewed; 996 primary lung cancer patients were identified (n=996). Of these, 318 patients underwent an ultrasound examination (n=318), consisting of ultrasound of the neck, pleural cavity, and metastatic lesions potentially amenable to ultrasound guided aspiration/biopsy. RESULTS: The overall malignant yield was 45% of patients scanned (95% CI 39.5% to 50.4%) and 81.3% of patients sampled (95% CI 75.5% to 87%). Of the 996 patients, 14.4% (n=143) had a positive ultrasound guided cytological diagnosis (95% CI 12.2% to 16.5%). Of all the pathological diagnoses (n=765), 18.7% were ultrasound guided (95% CI 15.9% to 21.5%). In particular, 32.2% of patients with CT detected neck or mediastinal nodes had a diagnosis and stage achieved by neck ultrasound. CONCLUSION: The use of ultrasound gives a rapid and less invasive method of diagnosing and staging lung cancer and has become embedded into the diagnostic pathway. We advocate its increased use and availability in patients with lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A previous study showed that lung cancer incidence in Leicester's South Asian (SA) population had increased between 1990 and 1999. We expanded the original data set to determine if this increase had continued in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Oral mucosal wound-healing is characterized by rapid re-epithelialization and remodeling, with minimal scar formation. This may be attributed to the distinct phenotypic characteristics of the resident fibroblasts. To test this hypothesis, we investigated patient-matched oral mucosal and skin fibroblasts. Compared with skin fibroblasts, oral mucosal fibroblasts had longer proliferative lifespans, underwent more population doublings, and experienced senescence later, which was directly related to longer telomere lengths within oral mucosal fibroblasts. The presence of these longer telomeres was independent of telomerase expression, since both oral oral mucosal fibroblasts and skin fibroblasts were negative for active telomerase, as assessed according to the Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol. This study has demonstrated that, compared with skin fibroblasts, oral mucosal fibroblasts are 'younger', with a more embryonic/fetal-like phenotype that may provide a notable advantage for their ability to repair wounds in a scarless fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the findings of the first national lung cancer organisational audit. The results demonstrate marked variation in service provision and workload of some lung cancer specialists. For example, over half of the clinical nurse specialists report case volumes over recommended numbers. Some trusts have no access to key treatments such as video assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) lobectomy and stereotactic radiotherapy. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated an association between higher surgical resection rates and the on-site availability of advanced staging and therapeutic modalities, for example, PET scan and VAT lobectomy. We conclude by making a number of recommendations to address the variation in lung cancer care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in the UK. Pathological diagnosis traditionally requires invasive procedures such as bronchoscopy, mediastinoscopy, or image guided biopsy. Ultrasound of the neck with fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of enlarged but impalpable supraclavicular nodes has been used in patients with suspected lung cancer who have N2 or N3 disease on staging computed tomography (CT). if positive, this technique helps to both stage the patient and provide a cytological diagnosis. Methods: 101 patients were enrolled prospectively over a 1 year period. FNAC was performed on all supraclavicular nodes over 5 mm in size using the capillary aspiration technique. Results: Sixty one of the 101 patients had enlarged supraclavicular nodes and underwent FNAC. The overall malignant yield was 45.5% of patients scanned and 75.4% of patients sampled. As a result of FNAC, 43 patients (42.6%) avoided more invasive procedures. Conclusion: Ultrasound guided FNAC is a promising, relatively non-invasive technique for the staging and diagnosis of patients with lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 1995 a meta-analysis of randomised trials investigating the value of adding chemotherapy to primary treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) suggested a small survival benefit for cisplatin-based chemotherapy in each of the primary treatment settings. However, the meta- analysis included many small trials and trials with differing eligibility criteria and chemotherapy regimens. Methods: The aim of the Big Lung Trial was to confirm the survival benefits seen in the meta-analysis and to assess quality of life and cost in the supportive care setting. A total of 725 patients were randomised to receive supportive care alone (n = 361) or supportive core plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy (n = 364). Results: 65% of patients allocated chemotherapy (C) received all three cycles of treatment and a further 27% received one or two cycles. 74% of patients allocated no chemotherapy (NoC) received thoracic radiotherapy compared with 47% of the C group. Patients allocated C had a significantly better survival than those allocated NoC: HR 0.77(95% Cl 0.66 to 0.89, p =0.0006), median survival 8.0 months for the C group v 5.7 months for the NoC group, a difference of 9 weeks. There were 19(5%) treatment related deaths in the C group. There was no evidence that any subgroup benefited more or less from chemotherapy. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the pre-defined primary and secondary quality of life end paints, although large negative effects of chemotherapy were ruled out. The regimens used proved to be cost effective, the extra cost of chemotherapy being offset by longer survival. Conclusions: The survival benefit seen in this trial was entirely consistent with the NSCLC meta-analysis and subsequent similarly designed large trials. The information on quality of life and cost should enable patients and their clinicians to make more informed treatment choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A randomized trial was conducted to determine whether administration of Amifostine with chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer could decrease the toxicity. 84 patients with small cell lung cancer of favourable prognosis (limited disease, performance status 0 -1; limited disease with performance status 2 but normal sodium and alkaline phosphatase, or extensive diseas with performance status 0 -1, normal sodium and alkaline phosphatase) received treatment with Ifosfamide 3 g/m[SUP2] intravenously, Carboplatin (Glomerular filtration rate + 25) ×6 mg intravenously, Etoposide 50 mg orally, twice daily, for 7 days, every 3 weeks. Patients were randomized to receive amifostine 740 mg/m[SUP2] immediately prior to the intravenous drugs (n = 42) or to receive chemotherapy alone (n = 42). The two groups were similar with respect to baseline prognostic factors. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of grade III or IV neutropenia or thrombocytopenia between the two groups, nor in the response rate or overall survival, for which the median was 11 months in the chemotherapy only group and 14 months in the group treated with amifostine. This study has not shown a protective effect from the use of amifostine with this regimen and there does not appear to be any effect upon the efficacy of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors offer insights on the development and value of cancer registries. Topics discussed include the need to address cancer-related challenges to effectively manage healthcare costs and clinical outcomes, the data integration process necessary in cancer management, and the cancer research, surveillance, and assessment responsibilities of the National Cancer Registration service in England.

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity was measured using levamisole inhibition, and results were compared with a previously reported method using L-phenylalanine. Sixty two per cent intestinal, 39% placental, and 1.3% of either bone or liver alkaline phosphatase activity remained when alkaline phosphatase activity was inhibited in a 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) buffer reagent system with 10 mmol/l levamisole (final assay concentration 8.1 mmol/l). The assay imprecision (SD) was 0.6 U/l compared with 3.9 U/l using L-phenylalanine for specimens with total alkaline phosphatase activity less than 250 U/l (reference range 30-120 U/l). In serum pools with raised total alkaline phosphatase activity errors in recovered intestinal activity were small (usually less than 3 U/l) when intestinal alkaline phosphatase was added. Much larger errors and many underestimated results were found using L-phenylalanine. For non-haemolysed specimens it is concluded that an assay based on levamisole inhibition provides a better measure of intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity than L-phenylalanine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumours and those occurring in the head and neck have well recognized familial association. Retroperitoneal paragangliomas are uncommon and we present two cases of familial malignant retroperitoneal paraganglioma. Review of the literature revealed marked differences in the incidence and malignant potential of familial and non-familial paraganglioma. In contrast to the cases reported here, familial tumours are generally benign, though they may occur at multiple sites. Familial and non-familial paragangliomas may indeed be different disease entities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A method for quantitating the liver, bone, intestinal and placental alkaline phosphatase activity of serum, using an algorithm for converting selective inactivation by guanidine hydrochloride, L-phenylalanine, and heat into equivalent isoenzyme activity is described. The method can individually quantify mixtures of isoenzymes to within a margin of 3%; it has acceptable reproducibility and has been used to develop both age and sex related reference ranges. Analysis time is about 30 minutes. The clinical reliability of this method has been shown in a study of 101 patients, in 79% of whom isoenzyme results were compatible with the final clinical diagnosis; in 10% a clinical diagnosis resulted from isoenzyme analysis, and in a further 11% the source of the increased alkaline phosphatase activity was identified and supported by electrophoresis, with a definite clinical diagnosis yet to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The potential use of the protein denaturant guanidine hydrochloride to inhibit selectively the enzyme activity of serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes from liver, bone, intestine, and placenta was investigated. Inhibition of each isoenzyme was shown to be dependent on time and concentration of inhibitor. In the presence of 0.3 mol/l (28.7 g/l) guanidine hydrochloride for 170 seconds 14%, 47%, and 90% of the total alkaline phosphatase activity remained in samples of bone, liver, and intestinal origins, respectively. In contrast, the activity of the placental isoenzyme increased by 24%. The degree of inhibition was shown to be independent of total alkaline phosphatase activity. Investigations were performed at 37 degrees C using the Cobas Bio centrifugal analyser. We conclude that this reagent has several practical advantages over urea as a selective inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes, including a faster and more reproducible inhibition at a much lower reagent concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A double-blind crossover study was performed to compare 4 . 8 mg salbutamol given by pressure-packed aerosol and intermittent positive-pressure breathing nebulization in chronic asthmatic patients. The two delivery techniques produced similar changes in respiratory function and pulse rates. Given equal effect, a high-dose pressure-packed aerosol would have advantages in cost and convenience over nebulization techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arterial blood gas tensions were studied for six years in 85 patients (59 men, 26 women, mean age 58.8 years) with hypoxaemia associated with chronic bronchitis. All patients who died had a precipitous fall of arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) breathing air. In patients dying within two years of the first appearance of ankle oedema the mean rate of fall of PaO2 was 0.11 kPa/month. Patients who survived two years appeared to deteriorate more slowly (0.017 kPa/month) until some months before death, when they too deteriorated rapidly. Hypoxaemic patients with obstructive airways disease suffer a terminal rapid decline in arterial oxygen tension, which probably indicates real pathological change in the lungs and has important implications for long-term domiciliary oxygen treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new spectrophotometric lithium assay was assessed after adaption to a Hitachi 917. Results on this analyser were in close agreement with lithium measured on a flame photometer (95% confidence interval ± 0·06 mmol/L, n = 120). Assay precision was < 2·5% over a range of lithium concentrations from 0·5- 3·0 mmol/L. The assay was linear to 3 mmol/L and interference from haemolysis, icterus, lipaemia and other metal ions was minimal. The assay is a useful substitute or "back-up" for traditional lithium assays. Improved "on-board" calibration stability (currently 24 h) is required by improving the stability of uncapped reagent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Lung cancer nurse specialists (LCNS) provide an extremely important service to patients. Their skill and expertise are valued very highly by both patients and colleagues, but it has proven difficult to measure their input objectively, leading to a lack of expansion (and in some areas contraction) of the workforce. Earlier this year the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) reported that for 2009, patients who saw an LCNS were more than twice as likely to receive active anti-cancer treatment, but the relevance of this observation is obscured by a lack of case-mix adjustment and a high proportion of unrecorded data. We have sought to examine this finding more closely on the 2010 dataset (with less unrecorded data) by performing case-mix adjustment. Methods Details of all patients from English trusts that were submitted to the NLCA database in 2010 were obtained. We then performed logistic regression analysis based on sex, age, stage and performance status to calculate mutually-adjusted ORs for overall and specific treatments. Since a patient would have reduced opportunity to access an LCNS if their survival were short, a second model was created excluding those patients who had survival of <28 days. Results Of 30 334 in the dataset, 42 were removed due to missing sex (4), in situ disease (2) and occult stage (36). 74.8% were recorded as having been seen by a LCNS, 7.8% were not seen, and in 17.4% the outcome was not recorded. The latter two groups were combined for the remainder of the analysis. ORs for treatment if seen by a nurse in both models are shown below. Conclusions Contact with a LCNS was associated with increased rates of active treatment, particularly chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but not surgery, and this effect was independent of sex, age, disease stage and performance status. While the LUCADA dataset does not contain detailed information on individual reasons for LCNS assessments, this should be investigated further as there may be important additions to the known benefits LCNS provide to patients. However, regardless of the explanation, all lung cancer patients should have the opportunity to benefit from the expertise of a LCNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on symptoms and the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the western world, resulting in nearly 30 000 deaths in England and Wales in 2002. Advances in the management of breast, cervical, and prostate cancer have led to improved survival rates, whereas mortality from lung cancer has remained largely unchanged. Even the best reported 5 year survival rates for lung cancer are reported 5 year survival rates for lung cancer are only 10-15%.

The management of lung cancer depends to a great extent on its histological type and the stage of disease. Although most patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have advanced disease at presentation, approximately 30% have tumour confined to the lung and locoregional lymph nodes. In clinical practice a presumptive diagnosis and stage are based on presentation, risk factors, and radiological appearances-particularly CT scans. Obtaining a histological diagnosis and confirming the stage of the disease often take place at the same time. It is reported that mediastinal lymph nodes contain metastatic disease in 28-38% of patients with NSCLC at the time of diagnosis.

Serum samples were collected from 115 small-cell lung cancer patients before each course of chemotherapy and during follow-up. Levels of neuronspecific enolase (NSE) were measured and compared to the clinical assessments of the course of the disease, which were done by the responsible physician without knowledge of NSE-values. The predictive accuracy of an increase or decrease of NSE for a major response (CR+PR), SD or PD was 98%. Importantly no falsepositive rises of NSE were observed. On the basis of this large number of data it seems justified to conclude that in common clinical practice the treatment of small-cell lung cancer patients can be monitored by serial measurements of NSE alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The National Lung Cancer Audit is run jointly by the Royal College of Physicians and The Information Centre for health and social care, and is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). Its development was driven by the realisation that lung cancer outcomes vary widely across the UK and are poor compared to other western countries. The aim of the audit is to facilitate service improvement by recording elements of process and outcomes in lung cancer on a large scale and, using case-mix adjustment, to explain the wide variations noted and improve standards of care. Although several other countries also submit data to the audit, this abstract presents provisional results for England only. Results In Year 6, participation has again increased and all trusts have now contributed data at some time. Completeness of data on individual cases remains high although it is noteworthy that 18% of cases are submitted without a disease stage and 16% without performance status. This year the results show that the histological confirmation rate has risen substantially to nearly 77%, and 96% of patients have been discussed in an MDT, although the surgical resection and anti-cancer treatment rates have not increased further. Conclusions Participation remains high and the audit continues to collect data on close to 100% of cases of lung cancer and mesothelioma that present to secondary care. Overall treatment rates seem to have stopped improving, although it is acknowledged that some of the earlier annual improvements reflected improvements in data quality. The rise in HCR is likely to reflect a real change in practice, possibly due to the new found importance of tissue (choice of chemotherapy, use of EGFR antagonists) and possibly due to the focus given to HCR by the audit itself. It is of concern that a significant minority of patients appear to be managed without information on disease stage and PS--key variables needed for appropriate management of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the lung cancer outcomes in Teesside, England and Varese, Italy. The authors praises the physicians in Teesside and Varese for comparing their outcomes in lung cancer. The study showed that British patients with lung cancer had co-morbidities, were more likely to have and had higher occupational risks. The authors describe the national audit program known as Lung Cancer Data project.