LUMEN: Lung Cancer Symptom Assessment Line - Real-World Evaluation

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Wales, with approximately 1900 people dying from the disease every year.[1] In Wales, over 2300 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, however, more than 45% of cases are not diagnosed until stage 4 when treatment options are limited.[1] Earlier diagnosis and rapid access to potentially curative treatments such as surgery and radiotherapy are crucial to improve survival. In December 2021, HDdUHB was awarded funding by Moondance Cancer Initiative to develop, launch and evaluate a nurse-led telephone triage service for lung cancer, the Lung Cancer Symptom Assessment Line (LUMEN). Anecdotally it has been demonstrated that nurse-led triage of patients with cancer symptoms may be useful in establishing appropriate investigation. The aim of such services being to reduce wait times from referral to investigation and consultation, in some cases expanding to include a wider remit, by providing a link between patients and clinicians and assessing additional patient support requirements. This approach has the potential to positively impact the patient experience, in addition to improving clinical efficiency. Examples of nurse-led triage pathways have been implemented for colorectal cancer [7,8] and lung cancer [9,10]