Short summary

Victoria (Australia) and Denmark both have high quality health care systems, but significant differences in centralization, which may impact outcomes in lung cancer surgery patients. This comparative observational registry-based study aimed to analyse outcomes in lung cancer surgery by exploring patterns of care including stage concordance between clinical and pathological staging, mortality and survival.

Rationale

Victoria (Australia) and Denmark have comparable population sizes and high-quality healthcare systems. Lung cancer surgery, however, is performed in more than 20 Victorian hospitals compared to four in Denmark. Such differences in centralization may influence outcomes. We engaged clinical quality registries to enable international benchmarking by exploring patterns of lung cancer surgery including mortality and survival.

Description of the cohort

All patients undergoing lung cancer surgery between 2015-2018 registered in the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry and the Danish Lung Cancer Registry were included. Analyses on stage concordance, 30 and 90-day mortality, and overall survival were restricted to a selected subgroup with NSCLC and no neo-adjuvant therapy or metastatic disease and only one operation.

Data and biological material

Please see above

Collaborating researchers and departments

Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne

• Robert G Stirling, MBBCh(Hons) MPH
• John Zalcberg, MBBS PhDd

University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

• Gavin Wright, FRACS PhD

Publications associated with the project

Stenger M, Jakobsen E, Wright G, Zalcberg J, Stirling RG. A comparison of outcomes and survival between Victoria and Denmark in lung cancer surgery: opportunities for international benchmarking. ANZ J Surg. 2021 Oct 22. doi: 10.1111/ans.17302. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34676962.