Twice the number of lung cancer patients are receiving no treatment than would be recommended by multidisciplinary teams, a Sydney study has concluded.
In about 10% of 335 cases reviewed by the study, the Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Meeting in the south-western Sydney region recommended that the patient not be treated, for example because of a high level of comorbidity. In fact, 20% received no treatment.
Predictors of not being treated included patient preferences, older age, worse ECOG performance status, having non-small-cell cancer pathology, and not speaking English.
The 20% non-treatment rate was substantially lower than the 33% rate reported for New South Wales as a whole. This suggested that individual assessment by a multidisciplinary team improved the appropriate uptake of...
This site is intended for Registered Medical Practitioners.
To make the most of Oncology Update, you need to be logged in.