Lung cancer – the state of the nations

As the UK Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC), we recognise the importance and need to drive policy and service change not only in England – but across the UK nations. 

Today, parliamentarians in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will receive a report outlining the burden of lung cancer in their respective countries – using the latest data on patient outcomes and quality of care.  

Lung cancer remains the biggest cancer killer in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.1,2,3 It is responsible for approximately a quarter of all cancer deaths.1,2,3 The three nations have some of the worst five-year lung cancer survival rates in Europe.4

In Scotland, lung cancer still remains the most common cancer; in Wales lung cancer has increased in women by more than a third; and in NI lung cancer related death is five and a half times higher in the most deprived areas of the country than it is in the least deprived.5,3,2

To help improve lung cancer services and patient outcomes, the UKLCC is calling for parliamentarians and key policymakers to take specific actions in their respective countries. These include increasing public awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer; scrutinising the lack of action by governments to improve cancer survival rates; and publishing performance figures on local lung cancer services.6,7,8

The UKLCC strongly believes that improvements in lung cancer services can only be achieved through co-ordination and collaboration within and between the UK nations.

Richard Steyn

Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital

Honorary Associate Professor University of Warwick

Chair of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition

  1. ISD Scotland, Cancer incidence and mortality in Scotland by site/type of cancer, sex and year of diagnosis/registration of death: 2003-12. Available at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Cancer-Statistics/  accessed on 20 May 2014
  2. Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Number of cancer deaths and mortality rates by sex and year of death – Trachea, Bronchus & Lung (C33 C34), 2013
  3. Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Cancer in Wales. April 2014. http://www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/1111/CANCERinWALESapril2014FINAL%28Eng%29.pdf
  4. Cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007 by country and age: results of EUROCARE-5.December 2013
  5. Cancer Research UK, Cancer incidence for common cancers, January 2014. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/incidence/commoncancers/; accessed on 20 May 2014
  6. State of the Nation: An overview of the impact and priorities for lung cancer in Wales. UK Lung Cancer Coalition, June 2014
  7. State of the Nation: An overview of the impact and priorities for lung cancer in Scotland. UK Lung Cancer Coalition, June 2014
  8. State of the Nation: An overview of the impact and priorities for lung cancer in Northern Ireland. UK Lung Cancer Coalition, June 2014