Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada and kills more men and women than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined. Within Canada, Québec has the highest number of new lung cancer cases and the highest number of deaths due to lung cancer. Survival in lung cancer patients is poor with only 17 of every 100 still alive five years after their diagnosis. This is because lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease when options for treatment are limited. In Canada, patients must be seen in primary care to access a specialist where the diagnosis is confirmed and treatment is started. In other countries that operate in the same way, major delays in diagnosis have been shown to take place in primary care, with many complex factors involved. In Canada, there is very little research on pathways to a lung cancer diagnosis, especially in primary care. Before we can reduce delays in diagnosis, we need to identify diagnostic pathways from primary care to specialist care, and we need to understand the factors that lead to delays in these pathways. This study will examine lung cancer diagnostic pathways in the primary care setting, and explore patient, disease, and health-care system factors that cause delays. Lung cancer patients from a cancer center in Québec will be recruited. First, data on use of health-care services before referral to a specialist will be analyzed to identify different diagnostic pathways. This data will come from hospital databases, patient charts, and short patient interviews. Second, in-depth patient interviews will be done to explore factors that contribute to late diagnosis, which will provide a deeper understanding of what is happening. The results of this study will be used to create ways to avoid delays to a lung cancer diagnosis. This will allow for diagnosis at earlier stages of disease when there are more treatment options and patients have a better chance at survival.