Timeliness, Risk Factors and Outcomes in Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: a Data-linkage Study between Primary and Subsequent Care
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Study Coordinator/ PhD Candidate
Dr Jianrong Zhang,
Project Details
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally and in Australia. The high mortality is mainly due to late disease stage at diagnosis so that over half of the patients lose opportunities for curable treatments. This study provides a full picture of how long patients experience in Australian clinical settings starting from the first presentation in primary care to diagnosis and treatment in subsequent care, via linking datasets in primary care, hospital and population registries. In addition to the length of the times to diagnosis and treatment, this study investigates social and clinical factors for longer times, and how the timeliness impacts on patient outcomes, especially disease stage at diagnosis as well as patient survival.
Researchers
Dr. Jianrong Zhang, Graduate Researcher, University of Melbourne
Ms. Sally Philip, Program Manager, University of Melbourne
Prof. Maarten IJzerman, University of Melbourne & Erasmus University Rotterdam
Herman Prof. Jon Emery, Academic GP, University of Melbourne
Collaborators
Prof. Ben Solomon, Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Dr. Marliese Alexander, Pharmacist & Research Fellow, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
A/Prof. Gavin Wright, Thoracic Surgeon, St. Vincent Hospital
Prof. Xiaofei Wang, Statistician, Duke University
Funding
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
Jianrong is supported by Melbourne Research Scholarship from University of Melbourne
Research Outcomes
This is the first data-linkage study presenting the length of times to diagnosis and treatment as well as their risk factors and prognostic impact among patients with lung cancer in Australia. The study will provide insights on how to reduce the times for the future policy making and clinical practice, allowing patients to be diagnosed and treated with an earlier disease stage for better outcomes.