the best in the world are having this potentially lifesaving treatment. And this may be a major reason why the long term survival figures for patients with lung cancer in England are not as good as they could be.

"We need to understand why this is happening. Do we need more lung cancer surgeons or are patients simply being diagnosed too late for surgery?"Professor Sir Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, said: "This study highlights the importance of collecting information on the treatments received by cancer patients across the country. Where there is variation among patients receiving surgery we must look carefully to understand the reasons for this.

"The low rate of lung cancer surgery is likely to be due in part to late diagnosis. We know that earlier diagnosis can save lives, that is why we are launching a new campaign from January to alert people to the early signs and symptoms of lung, bowel and breast cancer. We will publish an updated cancer strategy in the winter setting the future direction for cancer care."ENDSSource: Cancer Research UK