Due to the complexity of lung cancer and rapid acceleration in development of treatments, the care pathway can be hard to navigate for patients and carers, and there are many opportunities for improvement.
The Ambition, Improvement, Measurement (AIM) program examines and intends to improve the management of lung cancer.
This programme seeks to improve the timeliness and coordination of care, highlighting areas in the pathway that can bring the biggest impact for patients, through driving better data collection and analysis as well as leveraging measurement opportunities across four key areas:
- Access to biomarker testing
- Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) led care
- Coordination of care
- Referral pathway optimisation
Hear from expert speakers about the goals of AIM and reasons behind its approach:
Dr Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer, American Lung Association
Dr Jesme Fox, Secretary, Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC)
David LeDuc, Director, Global Oncology Policy & Advocacy – Lung Cancer, AstraZeneca; Lucy Dance, Senior Director, Global Oncology Policy & Advocacy, AstraZeneca
Access to biomarker testing
What do we want? We want every eligible patient to be able to access diagnostic testing at the right time in their patient pathway to inform treatment decisions.
How will we do this? We will call on governments and healthcare systems to meet the urgent need for investment in infrastructure, support research activities and demonstrate the need for fully reimbursed biomarker tests. There is also a need to remove barriers to healthcare services to ensure patients move through the lung cancer care pathway more quickly to access appropriate treatment and care.
Read the full report here:
Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) led care
What do we want? We want every patient to be discussed by a tumour board and treated by a MDT at diagnosis and other relevant points in the pathway.
How will we do this? We will embed a national MDT approach to lung cancer care by working with policymakers and health systems to invest in infrastructure and provide support for staff attending MDTs, enabling discussion around active treatment for all patients, regardless of their stage of disease.
Read the full report here:
Coordination of care
What do we want? We want every patient to have a named navigator or similar support from the point of diagnosis throughout their pathway.
How will we do this? We will call on governments and health systems to develop a standardised support program as a benchmark, ensuring patients are supported throughout their lung cancer care pathway. We will also call for investment in patient education and support to improve the availability of information throughout the pathway to enable patients to engage in shared decision making.
Read the full report here:
Referral pathway optimisation
What do we want? We want every person experiencing lung cancer symptoms to be assessed by a hospital specialist within two weeks from the referral of a General Practitioner (GP).
How will we do this? We will call on governments and health systems to improve global health inequities that is delaying diagnoses and proper care for people affected by lung cancer.
Read the full report here:
Date of Preparation: May 2024 | Document ID: Z4-64986