Opportunities for Improvement
Recommendation
Poland needs an updated National Cancer Control Plan.
Rationale
Indicator 1: Poland’s national cancer control plan was published in 2005 and needs to be updated; an update is currently in
progress. The updated national cancer control plan should ideally include the following elements: discussion of prevention,
screening and early detection, red flags and symptoms to look for in primary care, diagnosis, an implementation plan and a
funding source.Recommendation
Participation in lung cancer screening trials and studies may enable policymakers to determine whether screening is
appropriate for its population.
Rationale
Indicator 6: We did not find any indication that Poland has conducted a lung cancer screening study or trial. However, while not
meeting our criteria for this indicator, there has been a lung cancer early detection programme, initiated within the National
Cancer Control Plan and financed by Ministry of Health in 2019.Recommendation
Involvement of patient organisations in national assessments of disease and policy development can help to build consensus.
Rationale
Indicator 7: An independent lung cancer patient organisation exists in Poland, although there is no evidence that it was involved
in the lung cancer guideline development. Involving patients in the development of clinical guidelines can 1) help to identify issues
that may be overlooked by health professionals, 2) influence the development of recommendations from a patient and carer
perspective, and 3) emphasise the importance of including shared decision making. Patient representatives in Poland, however,
are involved in the process of Health Technology Assessment (HTA).Recommendation
Referral for diagnostic assessment for patients suspected of having lung cancer should be prioritised within a specified time
period as there is currently no mention of a rapid referral for diagnostic testing.
Rationale
Indicator 8 & 9: Providing a timeframe within which patients suspected of having lung cancer should receive testing is an
important milestone for delivery of care as well as having a timeframe for confirmed lung cancer patients to receive secondary
or tertiary care. Poland does not provide such timeframes, nor does it have dedicated fast track referral processes in its lung
cancer guidelines. Workshop participants emphasised the need to decrease the time from a patient’s early onset of symptoms to
receiving a diagnosis.Opportunity 1
Opportunity 2
Opportunity 3
Opportunity 4