Optimal lung cancer care pathways: a Tasmanian perspective.

ObjectiveIn Australia, Tasmania has the second highest rate of incident lung cancer cases at 44.0 per 100,000 population, with an overall 5year relative survival rate of 20%. The aim of this retrospective study was to map and compare patient transit timelines from referral, diagnosis and treatment, to national care quality indicators (NCQI) and optimal care pathway (OCP) benchmarks.MethodsData were extracted from the weekly lung cancer multidisciplinary team meeting minutes, digital medical records and the ARIA Oncology-Information System for newly diagnosed small cell and non-small cell lung cancer cases between 2019 and 2022, at a regional, university-affiliated tertiary hospital in Tasmania. Sociodemographic data and key dates were extracted, including first general practitioner (GP) referral, specialist appointments (respiratory, medical oncology, radiation oncology and cardiothoracic), investigations, diagnosis, staging and treatment of any intent. Timelines were benchmarked against NCQI and the OCP.ResultsA total of 165 cases were included; mean patient age was 72years, and 57% were male. A total of 153 patients (93%) were diagnosed with non-small cell cancer and 12 (7%) with small cell lung cancer. Results for all years showed that 93% of patients were seen by the respiratory service within 14days of their GP referral and 71% diagnosed within 28days of their referral, in accordance with current standards. The time taken between GP referrals and diagnosis to any treatment was greater than the required standards, with on average 7% of patients meeting the quality standards (range, 0-16%) for all treatment intents.ConclusionCurrent national benchmarks have proven challenging to achieve, with prolonged time to treatment of any intent. Challenges both at a patient and systemic level will need to be assessed to improve clinical indicator outcomes.