Research news · Lung cancer quality · Finland · Care pathways
A new Finnish lung cancer quality report highlights regional variation in lung cancer diagnosis and shows that lung cancer is still often detected at an advanced stage. The report, based on national register data from 2019–2023, provides important insight into diagnostics, treatment pathways, multidisciplinary team meetings, curative treatment, and the completeness of key clinical data.
According to the national summary published by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the report suggests that only slightly more than one quarter of patients were directed toward curative treatment, and that clinical stage information was missing for almost half of patients. The findings underline the need for earlier detection, more complete data collection, and more harmonised lung cancer care across Finnish wellbeing services counties.
Why this matters
Lung cancer outcomes depend on timely diagnosis, accurate staging, multidisciplinary treatment planning, and access to appropriate treatment. Regional differences in diagnostic pathways and incomplete clinical data make it harder to evaluate quality of care and identify where improvements are needed.
The Finnish report supports a broader national effort to improve cancer care quality, equity, and data-driven development. Finland’s National Cancer Center FICAN approved its first common national strategy in 2024, with the aim of supporting high-quality and equitable cancer care across the full care pathway, from early detection to treatment and comprehensive support.
Finnish Lung Cancer Programme and standardized care path
The Finnish Lung Cancer Programme has developed a standardized lung cancer care path to support more consistent and timely diagnosis and treatment. The pathway emphasizes urgent referral when lung cancer is suspected, chest and upper abdominal CT imaging, patient fitness assessment, staging investigations, pathological diagnosis, histological and molecular testing, and multidisciplinary treatment planning.
The care path also highlights that rehabilitation, smoking cessation support, and symptom-relieving care should begin already during diagnostic investigations. Treatment time targets are defined for surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and palliative care, supporting a clearer and more measurable pathway from referral to first-line treatment.
Connection to Nordic research and quality improvement
The Finnish lung cancer quality report is highly relevant for Nordic collaboration. It shows how registry-based reporting can identify variation in diagnosis, treatment, multidisciplinary care, and data completeness. These findings support NTOG priorities in lung cancer registries, quality indicators, multidisciplinary care pathways, and real-world outcome research.
Finland’s work also provides an example of how national strategy, quality reporting, and standardized care pathways can be combined to improve lung cancer care. Shared Nordic learning in this area may help strengthen early diagnosis, harmonise quality indicators, and support future research across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.