Review

British Journal of Cancer (1999) 79, 1641–1645. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6690262 www.bjcancer.com
Published online 12 March 1999

In pursuit of excellence for patients with cancer: the Scottish Cancer Therapy Network model

P L Stroner1, D H Brewster1, J A Dewar2, O Eremin3, A Gould1, G C Howard4 and S B Kaye5

  1. 1Information & Statistics Division, National Health Service in Scotland, Room C020, Information and Statistics Division, Trinity Park House, South Trinity Road, Edinburgh EH5 3SQ, UK
  2. 2Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
  3. 3University of Aberdeen Faculty of Medicine, Aberdeen AB9 2ZD, UK
  4. 4Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
  5. 5Beatson Oncology Centre, Glasgow G11 6NT, UK

Received 16 June 1998; Accepted 20 August 1998.

Top

Abstract

The Scottish Cancer Therapy Network (SCTN) was created against a background of rising concerns about perceived variation in the quality of care available to patients with cancer. SCTN has established itself as a major organization with the necessary recognition and infrastructure to provide leadership, support and impetus in the field of clinical guidelines, clinical audit and clinical trials of cancer therapy in Scotland. Since being formed in 1993, SCTN has been instrumental in the development of three evidence-based, clinical guidelines and in the completion of detailed, national, retrospective audits of the treatment of five major tumour sites. The infrastructure has been used successfully to support and encourage trial participation. Challenges for the future are a re-orientation towards prospective audit, widening the constituency and sense of ownership of SCTN as a resource for practising clinicians, and further increasing recruitment into clinical trials.

Keywords:

clinical trials, information services, medical audit, neoplasms, practice guidelines, Scotland

Top

References

  1. Aitken, R. E. G., Farquhar, W. & Moir, A. T. B. (1994). Cancer: advisory and co-ordinating bodies. Health Bull (Edin) 52: 47–50.
  2. Berrino, F., Sant, M., Verdecchia, A., Capocaccia, R., Hakulinen, T. & Estève, J., (eds) (1995). Survival of Cancer Patients in Europe (The EUROCARE Study). IARC Scientific Publications No 132. International Agency for Research on Cancer: Lyon
  3. Brewster, D., Crichton, J. & Muir, C. S. (1994). How accurate are Scottish cancer registration data? Br J Cancer 70: 954–960. | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
  4. Brewster, D., Crichton, J., Harvey, J. C., Dawson, G. & Nairn, E. R. (1996). Benefits and limitations of pathology databases to cancer registries. J Clin Pathol 49: 947–949.
  5. Brewster, D., Crichton, J., Harvey, J. C. & Dawson, G. (1997). Completeness of case ascertainment in a Scottish Regional Cancer Registry for the year 1992. Public Health 111: 339–343. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
  6. Department of Health Expert Advisory Group on Cancer (1995). A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services. A Report by the Expert Advisory Group on Cancer to the Chief Medical Officers of England and Wales. Department of Health: London
  7. Gillis, C. R. & Hole, D. J. (1996). Survival outcome of care by specialist surgeons in breast cancer: a study of 3786 patients in the west of Scotland. Br Med J 312: 145–148. | ISI | ChemPort |
  8. Goodman CM on behalf of the Scottish Urological Oncology Group and Scottish Cancer Therapy Network (1997). Audit of prostate cancer management in Scotland: 1988 and 1993. Br J Urol 79(Suppl 4): 7
  9. Information & Statistics Division (1998). Scottish Health Statistics 1997. ISD Scotland: Edinburgh
  10. Junor, E. J., Hole, D. J. & Gillis, C. R. (1994). Management of ovarian cancer: referral to a multidisciplinary team matters. Br J Cancer 70: 363–370. | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
  11. Junor EJ on behalf of the Scottish Cancer Therapy Network (1997). Ovarian cancer: improvement in survival in Scotland with platinum chemotherapy. Br J Cancer 76(Suppl 1): 15–16. | PubMed |
  12. McArdle, C. S. & Hole, D. (1991). Impact of variability among surgeons on postoperative morbidity and mortality and ultimate survival. Br Med J 302: 1501–1505. | ISI | ChemPort |
  13. McArdle, C. S. & Hole, D. (1996). An analysis of outcome following gastric cancer surgery. GI Cancer 1: 177–182.
  14. Scottish Breast Cancer Focus Group, Scottish Cancer Trials Breast Group, Scottish Cancer Therapy Network (1996). Scottish Breast Cancer Audit 1987 & 1993. SCTN: Edinburgh
  15. Scottish Cancer Co-ordinating and Advisory Committee (1996). Commissioning Cancer Services in Scotland. Report to the Chief Medical Officer. Scottish Office Department of Health: Edinburgh
  16. Scottish Cancer Co-ordinating and Advisory Committee (1997). Commissioning Cancer Services in Scotland. Primary and Palliative Care Services. Report to the Chief Medical Officer. Scottish Office Department of Health: Edinburgh
  17. Scottish Cancer Therapy Network, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (1997). Colorectal Cancer. SIGN: Edinburgh
  18. Scottish Cancer Therapy Network, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (1998a). Lung Cancer. SIGN: Edinburgh
  19. Scottish Cancer Therapy Network, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (1998b). Breast Cancer. SIGN: Edinburgh
  20. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (1995). Clinical Guidelines: Criteria for Appraisal for National Use. SIGN: Edinburgh
  21. Smyth, J. F., Mossman, J., Hall, R., Hepburn, S., Pinkerton, R., Richards, M. & Thatcher, N., Box J on behalf of the United Kingdom Co-ordinating Committee on Cancer Research (1994). Conducting clinical research in the new NHS: the model of cancer. Br Med J 309: 457–461.
  22. Twelves, C. J., Thomson, C. S., Young, J. & Gould, A. (1998a). Entry to clinical trials in breast cancer: the importance of specialist teams. Eur J Cancer 34: 1004–1007.
  23. Twelves, C. J., Thomson, C. S., Gould, A., Dewar JA for the Scottish Breast Cancer Focus, Group & the Scottish Cancer Therapy, Network (1998b). Variation in the survival of women with breast cancer in Scotland. Br J Cancer 78: 566–571. | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |