A new audit from the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (SCTS) has revealed that the number of lung cancer patients benefiting from life-saving surgery has increased by 60%, while the operative mortality rate has halved in recent years.
In the last year alone, the number of lung cancer operations has increased by more than 17%. New scanning technology has also led to more accurate decisions on which patients could benefit from an operation. Although the audit shows there has been significant progress, it also identifies room for improvement and highlights the need for more training in minimally-invasive techniques. Progress has been slow in the use of Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS), for example, which allows diseased lung tissue to be removed without opening the ribcage. Currently around 35% of operations are undertaken by VATS, with access varying widely from hospital to hospital. VATS is particularly suited to early tumours, but is of most benefit in the elderly and those with poorer lung function. Although this technique is not suitable for all cases, more surgeons need access to specialist training if as many patients as possible are to benefit from reduced pain and faster recovery. Professor David Taggart, president of SCTS, said: “Increased rates of lung cancer surgery have been linked to improved survival for patients. Although the surgery carries risks, studies have shown that for every person who dies as a result of surgery 35 people who would otherwise have died from their cancer are still alive five years on – so the potential to improve the outlook for this group is huge, if we continue the improvements made in the past few years. If we could get the rate of operations across the country up to the standard of the best performing areas then at least thousand additional lives could be saved each year.” Professor Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons said: “This audit shows that decisions by the SCTS and Royal College of Surgeons to introduce specialist thoracic surgery training a decade ago are starting to bear fruit. The first of the consultants trained in this way are now coming through the system and more hospitals are appointing lung specialist surgeons. The presence of these new surgeons is enabling the teams who care for lung cancer patients to make more confident decisions to offer surgery.”
