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BackgroundThe treatment given to patients with lung cancer and survival vary between and within countries. The National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) linked to Hospital Episode Statistics was used to quantify the extent to which these outcomes are influenced by patient features and/or hospital facilities and performance indicators. Methods All patients with a histological diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included. Logistic regression was used to quantify the independent influence of features of both patients and hospitals on the likelihood of having surgery and Cox regression was used for survival analyses. Results There were 34 513 patients with NSCLC in our dataset. After adjusting for age, sex, performance status, stage and Charlson Index of comorbidity, patients with NSCLC first seen in thoracic surgical centres (27% of the cohort) were 51% more likely to have surgery than those seen in non-surgical centres (adjusted OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.97). Resection rates varied from 13% to 17% between non-surgical and thoracic surgical centres. Surgery was the most powerful determinant of overall survival (adjusted HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.44). Conclusion A minority of patients with NSCLC first seen in a thoracic surgical centre are more likely to have surgery and to benefit from the survival advantage this confers. This finding suggests that there is an opportunity to improve the outcome for patients with lung cancer in England by optimising access to thoracic surgeons in non-surgical centres.

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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.

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.