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Volume 4, Number 2 |
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| The Cancer Reform Strategy – a window of opportunity |
Michael D Peake, Editor |
By the time you receive this issue of Lung cancer in practice, the Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) will have been published. The CRS is the successor to the 2001 National Cancer Plan (NCP) and has been developed as a result of pressure from cancer charities, patient groups and professionals. |
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| NICE drug appraisals and new oncology treatments |
Michael D Peake MB ChB FRCP Consultant Respiratory Physician, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester. National Clinical Lead for Lung Cancer |
In the UK, we work in an NHS funded by taxpayers’ money, where the responsibility of delivering a high-quality service rests finally with politicians. Health is consistently one of the top three concerns of voters and, therefore, the NHS is a political battleground. The amount spent by the government on healthcare in England alone is around £100,000 million per annum and has risen significantly in real terms in recent years. |
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| Fatigue in lung cancer |
Sharon de Caestecker RGN BN MA Head of Education, The Leicestershire and Rutland Hospice, Leicester |
Fatigue is one of the most prevalent and distressing symptoms in patients with lung cancer. Its severity and impact are underestimated by healthcare professionals. Survival rates in lung cancer patients are poor, so quality of life (QoL) issues should be given priority and addressed accordingly. Management depends on comprehensive assessment and the active involvement of the patient in defining expectations and setting goals. |
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| Neuro-endocrine tumours of the lung |
John R Gosney BSc MD FRCPath Consultant Thoracic Pathologist, Royal Liverpool University Hospital; Reader in Thoracic Pathology, University of Liverpool |
In common with other organs and organ systems, the epithelium lining the airways contains a dispersed population of regulatory cells that secrete amine and peptide hormones. These neuro-endocrine cells, so-called because they have features of both neurones and ‘classic’ endocrine cells (see Figure 1), act by releasing their hormonal products over short distances to regulate local physiological processes. |
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| PET/CT imaging in lung malignancies |
Michael J O’Doherty MSc MD FRCP Consultant in Nuclear Medicine, The PET Imaging Centre, St Thomas’ Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London |
Patients with pulmonary nodules, masses or pleural disease may have benign or malignant disease. Management of patients with lung cancer requires an efficient pathway to ensure treatment is delivered in a timely and appropriate way. |
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