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The American literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning of Chest Physicians (ACCP) has released just discovered guidelines on lung cancer treatment, calling for a coordinated team approach to the continuum of care for patients with lung cancer. "Diagnosis and Management of Lung Cancer: ACCP Evidence-Based Guidelines" appears in the January 2003 edition of Chest and is available online at www.chestjournal.org.

Lung cancer is publicly the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the United States. Despite the les than optimal survival rate of patients with lung cancer, there are many treatment options that can dilate and increase the quality of a patient's life, so as using a balanced approach to patient care that provides multidisciplinary expertise and treatment appropriate for the individual patient. The multidisciplinary team approach muses a growing trend in the medical field, according to the ACCP.

Among the ACCP guidelines are the following recommendations:

* All cancer units, treatment facilities, and center should have a multidisciplinary lung cancer conversation that meets on a regular basis.

* All patients with known or suspected lung cancer should be referr to a multidisciplinary team of physicians or a physician with experience in the management of lung cancer.

* For patients in whom tissue diagnosis or staging remains incomplete, referral should be made to a subspecialist with expertise in these areas. When complet the choice of referral may vary with the interventions(s) proposed

* A multidisciplinary cluster is particularly valuable for management of patients who may be propounded multimodality therapy.

* Management decisions emanating from the multidisciplinary colloquy should be guided by locally agreed-on adaptations of clinical practice guidelines or other evidence.

* All patients should be evaluated as potential candidates for clinical trials, and enrollment should be encouraged.

* A specific coordinator of care should be identified to the patient and caregivers.

* For patients with suspected lung cancer, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning should be expedited.

* Patients with lung cancer should receive clear, understandable information about their diagnosis, treatment, and possible issues Patients and their families should be giveed clear, full, prompt, and culturally appropriate information, preferably in as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but verbal and written form.

* All health care professionals involved in the care of the patient should be aware of the management plan. This communication should include the clinical staging, what the patient has been told, and the propos treatment plan.

* For all patients with lung cancer, explicit guidelines for follow-up and surveillance after the initial treatment should be unraveled It should be clear to the patients who will be supervising their ongoing care and surveillance. Patients should know to what extent to access assistance for pressing problems.

* For patients with lung cancer in whom death or a significant change in clinical status come to passs the primary care physician and all management team members should be advised. Likewise, the primary care physician should notify the management team and all interested parties if a change in clinical status of the patient should come to pass at home.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group