The LungPath study: variation in the diagnostic and staging pathway for patients with lung cancer in England.

The LungPath project investigated differences in lung cancer diagnostic practice by following the diagnostic pathways of 1507 patients from 19 representative English lung cancer centres. We found large variation in the proportion of patients receiving positron emission tomography-CT scan (range 13%-64%) and endobronchial ultrasound (range 2%-31%). There was also wide variation in the proportion of patients with good performance status who had their tumours histologically confirmed (range 61%-100%).

Morphological and genetic classification of lung cancer: variation in practice and implications for tailored treatment.

Aims: Tailored therapy of lung cancer requires high-quality pathology. Tumours must be subtyped accurately and material preserved for genetic analysis upon which treatment is increasingly based. There is a presumption that pathologists have risen to this challenge, but the nature and degree of variation in practice and quality are unknown.

Recent childbirth is an adverse prognostic factor in breast cancer and melanoma, but not in Hodgkin lymphoma.

Background: The relationship between gestation, childbirth and cancer prognosis is unknown for most cancers (e.g. Hodgkin lymphoma), whereas a body of evidence exists for melanoma and breast cancer.

Lung cancer survival and stage at diagnosis in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK: a population-based study, 2004-2007.

Background: The authors consider whether differences in stage at diagnosis could explain the variation in lung cancer survival between six developed countries in 2004-2007.

Methods: Routinely collected population-based data were obtained on all adults (15-99 years) diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004-2007 and registered in regional and national cancer registries in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Stage data for 57 352 patients were consolidated from various classification systems.

Primary liver cancer incidence and survival in ethnic groups in England, 2001-2007.

Background: The patterns of primary liver cancer incidence and survival are not known for detailed ethnic groups within the UK.

Methods: Data on patients resident in England diagnosed with primary liver cancer (ICD-10 C22) between 2001 and 2007 were extracted from the National Cancer Data Repository. Age-standardised incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for different ethnic groups separately for males and females, using the White ethnic groups as baselines.