Not Following the Rules in Guideline Care for Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Staging Has Negative Impact

Recent studies have identified poor adherence to recommended guidelines in diagnosing and staging patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and this practice has been associated with numerous negative downstream effects. However, these reports consist predominantly of large administrative databases with inherent limitations. We aimed to describe guideline-inconsistent care and identify any associated factors within the Swedish Cancer Institute health care system.

A review of patients with a diagnosis of primary NSCLC between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 within our community hospital network was performed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with guideline-inconsistent care.

Guideline-inconsistent care was identified in 24% (98 of 406) of patients: 58% (46 of 81) in clinical stage III and 29% (52 of 179) in stage IV. Of the 46 clinical stage III patients with guideline-inconsistent care, 43% (20) had no invasive mediastinal lymph node sampling before treatment initiation. Patients with guideline-inconsistent care more frequently underwent additional invasive procedures and had a delay in management. Regression analyses identified clinical stage III disease, stage IV with distant metastases, and specialty ordering the diagnostic test to be associated with guideline-inconsistent care.

Guideline-inconsistent diagnosis and staging of patients with NSCLC, particularly patients with stage III disease, are highly prevalent. This finding is associated with incomplete staging, a higher number of additional procedures, and a delay in management. The identification of this vulnerable population may serve as a target for quality improvement interventions aimed to increase adherence to guidelines while decreasing unnecessary procedures and time to treatment.