Diagnostics and staging
Scottish Cancer Network: Clinical Management Pathways
This consensus document is not a rigid constraint on clinical practice, but a concept of good practice against which the needs of the individual patient should be considered. It therefore remains the responsibility of the individual clinician to interpret the application of these guidelines, taking into account local service constraints and the needs and wishes of the patient. It is not intended that these consensus documents are applied as rigid clinical protocols.
Investigations should be tailored to patient fitness, wishes, and potential treatment options, then:
- History, clinical examination, performance status, contrast CT chest and abdomen, PFTs, bloods
- If current or impending symptoms (oligometastatic disease, SVCO, pleural effusion, MSCC, airway obstruction or significant haemoptysis) needing urgent intervention, refer to impending/current local symptoms section
Prehabilitation should be considered as soon as possible in the patient journey.
| Author | John Maclay (on behalf of Lung Diagnostic and Staging subgroup) | Reviewer | John Maclay |
| Last review | 20/09/2023 | Version number | 1.0 |
| Review Date | 20/09/2026 | Contact |
The printing of visual pathways is strongly discouraged, due to the inability to print all relevant information contained within and behind the pathways. Any user choosing to do so must acknowledge that the information may be incomplete and that essential context may be missing from a printed or reproduced pathway.