European Respiratory Society guideline on various aspects of quality in lung cancer care.

This European Respiratory Society guideline is dedicated to the provision of good quality recommendations in lung cancer care. All the clinical recommendations contained were based on a comprehensive systematic review and evidence syntheses based on eight PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes) questions. The evidence was appraised in compliance with the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

Epidemiology of thymoma.

Thymic tumours are a heterogeneous group of malignancies with a range of clinical presentations. The most common types are thymoma and thymic carcinoma, but overall it remains a rare cancer, and one without a clear aetiology. In this review of the epidemiology of the disease, the relationship between sex, age, and ethnicity is reviewed, along with limited evidence on the genetics of the condition.

ERS statement on harmonised standards for lung cancer registration and lung cancer services in Europe.

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) task force for harmonised standards for lung cancer registration and lung cancer services in Europe recognised the need to create a single dataset for use in pan-European data collection and a manual of standards for European lung cancer services.The multidisciplinary task force considered evidence from two different sources, reviewing existing national and international datasets alongside the results of a survey of clinical data collection on lung cancer in 35 European countries. A similar process was followed for the manual of lung cancer services, with the task force using existing guidelines and national or international recommendations for lung cancer services to develop a manual of standards for services in Europe.

The impact of the 'hub and spoke' model of care for lung cancer and equitable access to surgery.

Objectives: To determine the influence of where a patient is first seen (either surgical or non-surgical centre) and patient features on having surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Design: Cross-sectional study from individual patients, between 1January 2008 and 31March 2012.

Setting: Linked National Lung Cancer Audit and Hospital Episode Statistics datasets.

Small-cell lung cancer in England: trends in survival and chemotherapy using the National Lung Cancer Audit.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify trends in survival and chemotherapy use for individuals with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in England using the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA).

Methods: We used data from the NLCA database to identify people with histologically proven SCLC from 2004-2011. We calculated the median survival by stage and assessed whether patient characteristics changed over time.

The pathological confirmation rate of lung cancer in England using the NLCA database.

Background: The National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) recommends that trusts obtain pathology (histology or cytology) for 75% of their lung cancer patients, however this figure was arbitrarily chosen and the optimal pathological confirmation rate is unknown, and many countries report somewhat higher rates. The aims of this study were to provide a simple means of benchmarking appropriate pathological confirmation rates by stratifying patients into groups, and whether obtaining pathology based on those groups is associated with a survival benefit.

Methods: We calculated the proportion of patients with non-small cell or small cell lung cancer in the NLCA database, first seen between 1st January 2004 and 31st December 2010, who had pathological confirmation of their diagnosis.

Inequalities in outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer: the influence of clinical characteristics and features of the local lung cancer service.

Background: The 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.

Lung cancer in England: information from the National Lung Cancer Audit (LUCADA).

Aims: Our aims were to determine whether the information in the National Lung Cancer Audit database (LUCADA) is influenced by the completeness of reporting and to describe the current socio-demographics and survival of people with lung cancer in England.

Methods: Using national registry data as a gold standard we stratified NHS Trusts into quartiles on the basis of their patient ascertainment. We assessed the distribution of patient features across these quartiles using Cox and logistic regression.

Cutaneous angiosarcoma presenting as an unusual facial bruise.

Angiosarcoma is a rare vascular tumour accounting for 2% of soft tissue sarcomas, which together represent less than 1% of all cancers. Although well described in specialist literature, it is unusual in general medical practice. We describe a case in which the initial appearance as a bruise gave rise to diagnostic uncertainty and delay.