BREATHING IN A NEW ERA
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LUNG CANCER POLICIES ACROSS EUROPEhas been associated with lower self-esteem, lower social support, poorer social integration and higher
social conflict^18 —all of which are in turn associated with poorer health outcomes. Although early
supportive care for lung cancer patients can lead to significant improvements in quality of life, mood
and survival,^19 lung cancer specialists complain that patients are often not referred to supportive and
palliative care services until very late on in their care.^20 These evidence sources all contributed to the
development of indicators.
On other occasions—particularly where the evidence is less clear cut—we follow recommendations
from authoritative organisations and individuals. For example, Lung Cancer Europe recommends
raising lung cancer awareness among general practitioners, and that this should include increased
training and a fast-track referral process.^21 In terms of the need to support the input of patient groups
in decision making, Professor Jean-Paul Sculier of the European Respiratory Society has remarked that
advocacy for lung cancer research and funding may be lagging behind other cancers because survival
rates are so low, and patients are unable to advocate.^22 For all indicators, and for the structure of the
scorecard itself, we leant on the advice and guidance of the advisory panel—although all decisions
were ultimately made by The EIU project team.
The goal of the research programme is not to rank countries but rather to identify opportunities to
improve patient outcomes in each country. We hope to do this by helping to provide the impetus for
the development of national policies and encouragement of best practice.