The need for a National Clinical Quality Registry in Lung Cancer

The first TOGA Podcast for 2022 is about the need for a national clinical quality registry in lung cancer. A/Professor Emily Stone, the Deputy Chair of TOGA, is a Respiratory Physician, Senior Staff Specialist and Head of Thoracic Medicine within the Department of Thoracic Medicine and Lung Transplantation at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. She is a conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales and the Chair of the St Vincent’s Hospital Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Team. Emily is joined by Professor Rob Stirling, Respiratory Physician from the Alfred and Monash University who is the lead for the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry (VLCR) and also Professor Fraser Brims, Respiratory Physician from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Curtin University Medical School and Institute of Medical Health.

The high burden of disease and poor outcomes in lung cancer necessitate provision of optimal and timely care to ensure the best possible outcomes for people with lung cancer. A national clinical quality registry will reduce unwarranted variation in care by benchmarking performance and evaluate strategies designed to improve care, such as the expected lung cancer screening program. Registries are not just about collecting data.  Examples of varied care in lung cancer and a vision of what a clinical quality process should look like for lung cancer is explored in this podcast, together with an urgent call to action to demand funding for a national Clinical Quality Registry for lung cancer.