Timely diagnosis and treatment save lives – yet in many health systems, delays remain the norm. In July 2026, the Lung Cancer Policy Network hosted a webinar examining this problem and the role timed targets can play in solving it.
This event followed the launch of the Network’s latest policy brief, Timeliness matters: improving lung cancer care with timed targets, and brought together a panel of global experts to explore how timed targets can be developed and implemented across a variety of health systems.
Timed targets set defined time frames for diagnosis, treatment and other stages of care – a practical way to improve outcomes and strengthen accountability. But their potential is often unrealised. Countries define and measure timeliness differently, and few national audits have examined lung cancer care in detail, making it difficult to agree targets or reach consensus on what best-practice care should look like.
Designed for policymakers and health system decision-makers, the webinar set out what it will take to close that gap: greater international alignment on how timeliness is defined and measured, alongside stronger data collection and accountability mechanisms. Real-world case studies from Australia, Serbia, South Korea and the UK illustrated a range of strategies, from identifying who experiences untimely care and why, to removing system-level barriers, to building the policy frameworks that make improvement sustainable.
A live Q&A gave attendees the chance to put their questions directly to the panel.
Our speakers
We are grateful to our expert panellists, and to everyone who attended and contributed their questions and insights:
- Professor David Baldwin, Honorary Professor of Medicine, Consultant Physician, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and University of Nottingham, UK
- Professor Dragana Jovanovic, Senior Consultant, Akta Medica and Melliora Clinic (subspecialist of pulmonology and oncology); President and Founder, Educational Center for Respiratory and Palliative Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
- Dr Yeon Wook Kim, Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, South Korea
- Dr Zulfiquer Otty, Medical Oncologist, Townsville University Hospital; Senior Lecturer, James Cook University, Australia
