Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Implementing Optimal Care Pathway Improves Timeliness of Care for People with Lung Cancer (145991)

Zulfiquer otty 1 2 , abhishek joshi 1 2 , pradeep rajagopalan 1 2 , Daniel Xing 1 2 , corinne ryan 1 2 , nathan bain 1 , joanne tan 1 , JB kong 1 , Shiv Pathmanathan 1
  1. Townsville university hospital, Douglas, QLD, Australia
  2. medicine, james cook university, townsville, qld, Australia

Aim

Townsville University Hospital (TUH) has been implementing the National Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) for Lung Cancer since 2020, by introducing online Health Pathways, Rapid Access diagnostic and treatment clinics and employing lung cancer nurse navigators. The aim of this study was to compare timelines before and after the implementation of lung cancer OCP.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study, comparing timelines of lung cancer patients treated at TUH during 2017-2018 (Group A) and during 2025-2026(Group B). Descriptive statistical analysis of the data was used to discern any difference in timelines between the two groups. Patients who resided outside the Health Service or those were managed in private hospital or patients who were diagnosed through emergency admission and those who had history of another malignancy were excluded from the study.

Primary endpoints were the following;

  1. Median time from Initial GP referral to specialist clinic appointment.
  2. Median time from Initial specialist appointment to start of treatment.

 

Results

Group A had 88 patients and Group B had 70 patients, and out of these, 30 and 49 respectively were treated with curative intent .

Time from initial GP referral to initial specialist appointment was reduced from 47 days (11-90) in group A to 18 days (3-40) in group B (p=0.828).

Interval from initial specialist consultation to start of treatment for patients treated with curative intent reduced from 135 days in group A to 97 days in group B               (p=0.139) and for patients treated with palliative intent, from 96 days to 55 days (p=0.001).

The average time interval was 113 days for surgical resection and 93 days for radical chemo-radiation, in group B.

 

Conclusions

Implementing Lung Cancer OCP improves timeliness of care for patients. Further analysis of the pathway will be undertaken to reduce the delays in starting treatment.