Guidance for GPs

Investigating symptoms of lung cancer: a guide for all health professionals

Cancer Australia has released a resource that will assist general practitioners to investigate symptomatic people with suspected lung cancer and support their early and rapid referral into the multidisciplinary diagnostic pathway.

Diagnosing lung cancer at an earlier stage leads to better outcomes for patients, however, diagnosis can be challenging. Symptoms are often non-specific and imaging results are not always definitive.

Investigating symptoms of lung cancer: a guide for all health professionals provides GPs with a systematic approach to the appropriate investigation and referral of people with symptoms or signs of lung cancer. This approach includes optimal timeframes for action at each step of the pathway.

The accompanying Evidence Report supports the recommendations in the guide and includes additional recommendations to facilitate referral and patient support.

Investigating symptoms of lung cancer: a guide for all health professionals has been officially recognised as an Accepted Clinical Resource by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

The guide has also been endorsed by the following colleges and organisations.

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
Australian Primary Care Nurses Association (APNA)
Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (CNSA)
Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF)
CRANAPlus
Lung Foundation Australia (LFA)
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Association (NATSIHWA)
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)
Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ)

Further GP support and guidance

Providing tools and resources to support health professionals provide evidence-based care is seen as essential to improve outcomes for people affected by lung cancer. Cancer Australia plays an important role in supporting and guiding health professionals to improve outcomes for people affected by lung cancer.

There are a number of resources funded by Cancer Australia to provide health professionals with evidence-based information and resources to assist with the delivery of evidence-based clinical and supportive care for people affected by lung cancer.