Waiting times for systemic cancer therapy in the United Kingdom in 2006

This audit was conducted to measure waiting times for systemic cancer therapy across the United Kingdom. All patients, aged 16 years or older, commencing their first course of systemic therapy between 13 November and 19 November 2006 were eligible for inclusion. Data on 936 patients from 81 hospital sources were collected. Systemic therapy is largely given in compliance with national waiting time targets. In terms of the Joint Council for Clinical Oncology (JCCO) targets, 84% of patients commence treatment within 21 days and 98% of patients complied with the Department of Health target that treatment should follow within 31 days of the decision being agreed with the patient. Only 76% complied with the Department of Health 62-day target from GP referral to first definitive treatment. However, the date of urgent referral by the GP was not submitted for most patients in our survey, leaving a sample of only 84 out of 936 patients (9% of total) suitable for this analysis. There was only a 3- to 5-day difference between the waiting times for systemic therapy for patients categorised as urgent compared with routine. Locally agreed definitions had little impact on patients' priority for treatment. This audit has established a baseline measurement of waiting times for systemic therapy across the United Kingdom. The continuing introduction of novel therapies is likely to have a significant effect on the service and we recommend that service managers model the likely impact on resource requirements. In addition, urgent treatment should be clearly defined as that required within 24 h (maximum 48 h) to avoid the risk of clinical deterioration, particularly in patients with acute leukaemia, lymphoma or germ cell tumour

Estudo comparativo do diagnóstico de câncer pulmonar entre tomografia computadorizada e broncoscopia Comparative study between computed tomography and bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of lung cancer

OBJETIVO: Analisar a tomografia computadorizada e a broncoscopia no diagnóstico do câncer pulmonar e verificar a eficácia destas técnicas perante a presença desta doença. Os parâmetros idade, gênero, hábitos tabágicos, tipos histológicos, estadiamento e terapêutica foram, igualmente, analisados. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram analisados 70 pacientes do Serviço de Pneumologia do Hospital Distrital da Figueira da Foz, Coimbra, Portugal, que realizaram ambas as técnicas em estudo, tendo-se confirmado ou não a presença de câncer pulmonar. RESULTADOS: Diagnosticaram-se 37 tumores pulmonares, 23 casos no gênero masculino e 14 no feminino. Histologicamente, 40,54% eram adenocarcinomas, seguido do carcinoma escamoso (32,43% dos casos) e do carcinoma de pequenas células (18,92%). O estadiamento mostrou 6,70% no estádio IB, 23,30% no estádio IIIA comparativamente ao IIIB com 36,70%, encontrando-se 33,30% dos doentes no estádio IV. A quimioterapia isolada foi efetuada em 75,7% dos doentes. A sensibilidade da broncoscopia foi de 83,8%, a especificidade, de 81,8%, e a precisão, de 82,8%. A sensibilidade da tomografia computadorizada foi de 81,1%, a especificidade, de 63,6%, e a precisão, de 72,8%. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados da broncoscopia confirmaram a sua importância no diagnóstico do câncer pulmonar, pela dependência deste no exame anatomopatológico do tecido ou células, obtido por várias técnicas de biópsia. A tomografia computadorizada apresentou boa sensibilidade, de 81,1%, contudo, a sua especificidade, de apenas 63,6%, resulta do número de falso-positivos (36,4%).<br>OBJECTIVE: To analyze the role of computed tomography and bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of lung cancer, evaluating the effectiveness of these techniques in the presence of this disease. Parameters such as age, gender, smoking habits, histological types, staging and treatment were also analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample of the present study included 70 patients assisted at the Department of Pneumology of Hospital Distrital da Figueira da Foz, Coimbra, Portugal, who were submitted to both diagnostic methods, namely, computed tomography and bronchoscopy, to confirm the presence or the absence of lung cancer. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (23 men and 14 women) were diagnosed with lung cancer. Histologically 40.54% were adenocarcinoma, followed by squamous carcinoma (32.43% cases) and small-cell lung cancer (18.92%). Staging showed 6.70% stage IB disease, 23.30% stage IIIA and 36.70% stage IIIB, and 33.30% stage IV. Chemotherapy alone was the first treatment of choice for 75.7% of patients. Bronchoscopy sensitivity was 83.8%, specificity 81.8%, and accuracy 82.8%. Computed tomography sensitivity was 81.1%, specificity 63.6%, and accuracy 72.8%. CONCLUSION: Bronchoscopy results corroborated the relevance of the method in the diagnosis of lung cancer, considering its dependence on the anatomopathological study of tissue or cells obtained through different biopsy techniques. Computed tomography presented good sensitivity (81.1%), however the specificity of only 63.6% is related to the rate of false-positive results (36.4%)