What does it measure?

The national lung cancer audit collects information on referral, diagnosis, treatment and outcome for people diagnosed with lung cancer or mesothelioma.

The aim of the audit is to better understand the incidence of lung cancer within the UK, to describe the range of treatments utilised and to explore regional variations in treatments and outcomes. Using data that has been risk-adjusted for case mix, the audit has the potential to explain some of the wide variations found in outcome.

How does it work?

The audit works by collecting data submitted by hospitals trusts and / or hospital sites within England who treat patients with lung cancer or mesothelioma. The data is then amalgamated with data from other parts of the UK to produce a report on the national standards of care.

The data is also used to provide information to individual hospitals about the standards of care and quality of data provided.

Service Improvement

The NCLA provides data to support many service improvement initiatives within participating trusts. A local action plan template is provided to help trusts identify their strengths and weaknesses and helps identify who should take responsibility for improvement of the various aspects of the audit. The Royal College of Physicians manages the Improving Lung Cancer Outcomes Project (ILCOP). For further details of this project please visit the Royal College of Physicians website.