title: The European initiative for quality management in lung cancer care.
abstract: Lung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer-related death worldwide and poses a significant respiratory disease burden. Little is known about the provision of lung cancer care across Europe. The overall aim of the Task Force was to investigate current practice in lung cancer care across Europe. The Task Force undertook four projects: 1) a narrative literature search on quality management of lung cancer; 2) a survey of national and local infrastructure for lung cancer care in Europe; 3) a benchmarking project on the quality of (inter)national lung cancer guidelines in Europe; and 4) a feasibility study of prospective data collection in a pan-European setting. There is little peer-reviewed literature on quality management in lung cancer care. The survey revealed important differences in the infrastructure of lung cancer care in Europe. The European guidelines that were assessed displayed wide variation in content and scope, as well as methodological quality but at the same time there was relevant duplication. The feasibility study demonstrated that it is, in principle, feasible to collect prospective demographic and clinical data on patients with lung cancer. Legal obligations vary among countries. The European Initiative for Quality Management in Lung Cancer Care has provided the first comprehensive snapshot of lung cancer care in Europe.
authors.affiliation: For a full list of the authors affiliations see the Acknowledgements section.
authors.forename: Torsten G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Ruysscher
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faivre-Finn
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaga
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gamarra
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grigoriu
authors.forename: Niels C G
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: Rudolf Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jakobsen
authors.forename: Dragana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jovanovic
authors.forename: Assia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konsoulova
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kollmeier
authors.forename: Gilbert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Massard
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McPhelim
authors.forename: Anne-Pascale
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Meert
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Milroy
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paesmans
authors.forename: Mick
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peake
authors.forename: Paul-Martin
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Putora
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scherpereel
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schönfeld
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sitter
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skaug
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spiro
authors.forename: Trond-Eirik
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Strand
authors.forename: Samya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taright
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: van Schil
authors.forename: Johan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vansteenkiste
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wiewrodt
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sculier
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D003625:Data Collection; D005060:Europe; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012196:Review Literature as Topic