BACKGROUND: A minority of European countries have participated in international comparisons with high level data on lung cancer. However, the nature and extent of data collection across the continent is simply unknown, and without accurate data collection it is not possible to compare practice and set benchmarks to which lung cancer services can aspire. METHODS: Using an established network of lung cancer specialists in 37 European countries, a survey was distributed in December 2014. The results relate to current practice in each country at the time, early 2015. The results were compiled and then verified with co-authors over the following months. RESULTS: Thirty-five completed surveys were received which describe a range of current practice for lung cancer data collection. Thirty countries have data collection at the national level, but this is not so in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Data collection varied from paper records with no survival analysis, to well-established electronic databases with links to census data and survival analyses. CONCLUSION: Using a network of committed clinicians, we have gathered validated comparative data reporting an observed difference in data collection mechanisms across Europe. We have identified the need to develop a well-designed dataset, whilst acknowledging what is feasible within each country, and aspiring to collect high quality data for clinical research.

7th Respiratory Medicine Department Athens Chest Hospital 152 Mesogion Ave Athens 11527 Athens Greece

Centre of Pulmonology and Allergology Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Klinikos Vilnius Lithuania

Clinic of Infectious and Chest Diseases Dermatovenereology and Allergology Vilnius University Vilnius Lithuania

Clinic of Lung Diseases and TB Sarajevo University Clinical Centre Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina

Clinic of Pneumology and Phthisiology Comenius University Bratislava Jessenius Faculty of Medicine Martin University Hospital Martin Slovak Republic

Consultant Respiratory Physician and Chair Scottish Lung Cancer Forum Glasgow Royal Infirmary Glasgow Scotland

Data Centre Institut Jules Bordet Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium

Department of Internal Medicine Respiratory Research Unit Medical Research Center Oulu Oulu Finland

Department of Medicine Landspitali University of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland

Department of Pneumonology Medical University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

Department of Pulmonary Medicine School of Medicine Ege University Izmir Turkey

Department of Radiation Oncology Kantonsspital St Gallen 9007 St Gallen Switzerland

Department of Registration Cancer Registry of Norway Oslo Norway

Department of Research Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation Utrecht The Netherlands

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of COPD and Respiratory Epidemiology Otto Wagner Hospital Vienna Austria

Department of Respiratory Diseases Karolinska Hospital Stockholm Sweden

Department of Respiratory Medicine Beaumont Hospital Dublin 9 Ireland

Department of Respiratory Medicine Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Derby UK

Department of Respiratory medicine Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb Zagreb Croatia

Department of Respiratory Medicine Nottingham University Hospitals City campus Hucknall Road Nottingham NG5 1PB UK

Department of Respiratory Medicine State University of Medicine and Pharmacy Nicolae Testemitanu Chisinau Moldova

Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Antwerp University Hospital Edegem Antwerp Belgium

Department of Thoracic Surgery Odense University Hospital Odense Denmark

Department of Thoracic Surgery Tartu University Hospital Tartu Estonia

Department of Thoracic Surgery University of Rome Tor Vergata Rome Italy

Department of Tumor Biology National Koranyi Institute Semmelweis University Budapest Hungary

Department Pulmonary Disease and TB Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Brno Czech Republic

Division of Respiratory Medicine and Thoracic Oncology University of Munich and Thoracic Oncology Centre Munich Germany

Intensive Care and Thoracic Oncology Institut Jules Bordet Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium

Klinik für Pneumologie Lungenklinik Heckeshorn HELIOS Klinikum Emil von Behring Berlin Germany

Medical Oncology Department University Hospital Sveta Marina Varna Bulgaria

Pulmonary and Thoracic Oncology Univ Lille Inserm CHU Lille U1019 CIIL F 59000 Lille France

Pulmonology Service Thoracic Department North Lisbon Hospital Centre Lisbon Portugal

Regional Institute of Oncology University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi Romania

Respiratory Medicine Department Centre Hospitalier Luxembourg Luxembourg City Luxembourg

Respiratory medicine Department Seville University Seville Spain

Sir Anthony Mamo oncology centre Mater Dei hospital Msida Malta

University Clinic Golnik Medical Faculty Ljubljana Golnik Slovenia

University Hospital and University of Oulu POB 20 90029 Oulu Finland

University Hospital of Pulmonology Clinical Center of Serbia Belgrade Serbia

University of Tirana Service of Pulmonology Tirana Albania

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