Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK after breast cancer and is the commonest cause of cancer-related death. The National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) was established in 2004 after studies highlighted that UK patients with lung cancer had worse 5-year survival than comparable countries. There was also considerable variation in practice and (1-year) survival between UK healthcare organisations. The NLCA strives to raise standards across all NHS hospitals in England and Wales for patients with lung cancer by highlighting where lung cancer care is good, and identifying areas for improvement.
The NLCA is a national clinical audit commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) in response to the need for better information about the quality of services and care provided to patients with lung cancer in England and Wales.
From 1 February 2022, the NLCA has been delivered by the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng). The CEU is a collaboration between RCSEng and the Department of Health Services Research and Policy of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and has an excellent track record of producing high quality national cancer audits in prostate, gastro-oesophageal, bowel and breast cancers. Clinical leadership is provided by Professor Neal Navani, Consultant Respiratory Physician, Dr John Conibear, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Mr Douglas West, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon.