You may have surgery to remove lung cancer, which can mean removing part or all of a lung. Other treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted medicines and immunotherapy. The treatment depends on the type of cancer, its size and position, whether it has spread and your general health.
Lung cancer surgery is done in a small number of specialist centres. The National Lung Cancer Audit publishes the number of people each centre operated on and how many died within 90 days, adjusted for differences between patients.
London hospitals
5 London trusts with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Trust | Volume bandPeople having lung cancer surgery, 2024 (NLCA) | Key outcomeDeaths within 90 days (adjusted) | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barts Health NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Newham University Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, The Royal London Hospital, Whipps Cross University Hospital | 250 to 299296 people who had lung cancer surgery in 2024 | 1.0%National: 1.5%No banding publishedMore measures
| 82.1%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 61.4%), June to August 2026, provisional10% of people waiting for a CT scan had waited 6 weeks or more (England 11.2%, August 2026) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Newham University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Newham University Hospital) St Bartholomew's Hospital: Good (CQC report for St Bartholomew's Hospital) The Royal London Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for The Royal London Hospital) Whipps Cross University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Whipps Cross University Hospital) |
| Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Guy’s Hospital, Harefield Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, St Thomas’ HospitalThe trust has included Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals since 2021, so this figure covers their thoracic surgery too. | 300 or more1,257 people who had lung cancer surgery in 2024 | 1.2%National: 1.5%No banding publishedMore measures
| 54.9%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 61.4%), June to August 2026, provisional17.5% of people waiting for a CT scan had waited 6 weeks or more (England 11.2%, August 2026) | Better than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 8.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Guy's Hospital: Good (CQC report for Guy's Hospital) Harefield Hospital: Good (CQC report for Harefield Hospital) Royal Brompton Hospital: Good (CQC report for Royal Brompton Hospital) St Thomas' Hospital: Good (CQC report for St Thomas' Hospital) |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital, Western Eye Hospital | Fewer than 200199 people who had lung cancer surgery in 2024 | 1.5%National: 1.5%No banding publishedMore measures
| 59.1%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 61.4%), June to August 2026, provisional2.7% of people waiting for a CT scan had waited 6 weeks or more (England 11.2%, August 2026) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Charing Cross Hospital: Good (CQC report for Charing Cross Hospital) Hammersmith Hospitals: Requires improvement (CQC report for Hammersmith Hospitals) Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital: Outstanding (CQC report for Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital) St Mary's Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for St Mary's Hospital) |
| St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: St George’s Hospital, Tooting | 250 to 299264 people who had lung cancer surgery in 2024 | 0.8%National: 1.5%No banding publishedMore measures
| 52.9%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 61.4%), June to August 2026, provisional0.6% of people waiting for a CT scan had waited 6 weeks or more (England 11.2%, August 2026) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.3 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for St George's Hospital, Tooting) |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Hospital For Tropical Diseases, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, University College Hospital & Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street | 250 to 299289 people who had lung cancer surgery in 2024 | 1.7%National: 1.5%No banding publishedMore measures
| 63.7%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 61.4%), June to August 2026, provisional4.3% of people waiting for a CT scan had waited 6 weeks or more (England 11.2%, August 2026) | Better than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 8.7 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery: Good (CQC report for The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery) University College Hospital & Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing: Good (CQC report for University College Hospital & Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing) |
How to read this
- Not a ranking. The table is in alphabetical order. A higher volume does not on its own mean better care, and we do not combine the columns into a score.
- Volume bands. Cut points are the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of all 28 trusts and health boards in the NLCA table in the published table, rounded. So about a quarter of trusts and health boards in the NLCA table fall in each band. The exact number is shown under the band.
- Risk adjustment. Where a figure says “adjusted”, the audit has allowed for differences in the patients each hospital treats, such as age and other illnesses. Hospitals that take on more complex cases can still look different for reasons the adjustment does not capture.
- Bands and limits. We only say a result is higher or lower than expected when the source itself says so (for example NJR outlier status, NELA funnel limits, SSNAP levels, CQC survey bands). Where the source publishes a rate without limits we show the rate and the national figure, and say “No banding published”.
- Small numbers. A small hospital can have 0% or a high percentage by chance. Figures the source suppresses are shown as “Not published (small numbers)”.
- Trust or hospital. This audit publishes figures for each NHS trust, which may run several hospitals. The operation may only be done at one of them.
- Different periods. Each figure has its own period, shown next to it. Audit results describe operations done one to three years ago; waiting times are updated monthly.
- National figures. National figure: England and Wales, NLCA data tables.
- Talk to your GP or consultant about what the figures mean for you. If you are referred for planned care in England, you can usually choose your hospital.
Full definitions: methodology and data dictionary.
Data sources and licences
- National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) State of the Nation 2026 data tables, NATCAN for HQIP. Source: National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA), NATCAN / HQIP, 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Cancer Waiting Times (provider extract), NHS England. Source: NHS England, Cancer Waiting Times. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), NHS England. Source: NHS England, Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025 (trust benchmark results), Care Quality Commission. Source: Care Quality Commission, NHS Patient Survey Programme, Adult Inpatient Survey 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC ratings, Care Quality Commission. CQC ratings: Care Quality Commission. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Healthcare-associated infections: annual counts and rates by trust (financial year 2025 to 2026), UK Health Security Agency. Source: UK Health Security Agency, healthcare-associated infection annual data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
Data last updated 22 October 2026. We do not change the published figures; we only group volumes into bands. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Sources
We checked this guide against these official pages on 22 October 2026.
- Treatment for lung cancer (NHS website)
- National Lung Cancer Audit (NATCAN)
- Cancer Waiting Times (NHS England)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.