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Lung Cancer Quality Improvement Monitoring Report Update 2025 

In Aotearoa New Zealand, lung cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancers and remains the leading cause of cancer related mortality. Although there have been improvements in lung cancer incidence rates over the past five years, significant disparities persist. Various demographic groups continue to face barriers, including access to high quality care and variation in cancer care delivery across the motu. 

As part of our ongoing work to support the improvement of lung cancer care and outcomes for people and whānau, Te Aho o Te Kahu Cancer Control Agency (the Agency) is very pleased to release the Lung Cancer Quality Improvement Monitoring Report Update 2025 (the report). This report is an update on the findings of the first lung cancer report which was published in 2021.  

The first report covered eight of the 11 quality performance indicators (QPIs), based on the availability of data from the New Zealand Cancer Registry and other national collections data for 8,577 patients diagnosed with lung cancer in New Zealand between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2018 (period one). The updated lung cancer report highlights four of the 11 QPIs for 9,567 people who received a new primary diagnosis of lung cancer in New Zealand, between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2022 (period two). Updated data for all eight lung cancer QPIs are available on our website. 

The updated monitoring report highlights persistent disparities between period one and period two across the lung cancer care pathway, with notable differences between demographic groups, extent of disease at diagnosis, and across districts (formally district health boards). The report examines variations in route to diagnosis, treatment, survival outcomes, and end of life care.  

The results are intended to be used to inform improvements in how lung cancer services are organised, resourced, and accessed by patients. It is important to note that the scope of needed improvements extends beyond the cancer care system and includes other key factors like access to primary care and enablers to access services like treatment (such as assistance to travel for treatment and support for organising time off work or childcare, to attend appointments). Therefore, improvements across the QPIs in this report require a system wide approach. 

The release also includes two supporting documents: the Lung Cancer Quality Performance Indicator Descriptions and the Lung Cancer Quality Performance Indicator Technical Specifications. The data can also be viewed in our Cancer Care Data Explorer. 

Acknowledgements  

Te Aho o Te Kahu would like to acknowledge the members of the national lung cancer QPI working group and the sub working group; without their time and expertise we would not have been able to produce this report and its accompanying documents. The members of the sub working group were: James Entwisle, Paul Dawkins, Ross Lawrenson, and Chris Harrington. 

More about the quality performance indicator programme 

To date, the QPI Programme has reported on cancer-specific QPIs for bowel, lung, prostate pancreatic and breast cancers, that are available on the agency’s website. We have also reported on people diagnosed with cancer within 30 days of an emergency or acute (unplanned) hospital admission for 22 cancer types. The results of this analysis are also on our website. 

We encourage you to share the lung cancer QPI reports with your networks. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please email queries@teaho.govt.nz 

Ngā manaakitanga, 

 Rami Rahal 
Tumuaki, Chief Executive 
Te Aho o Te Kahu Cancer Control Agency