Aim Treatment paradigms for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are evolving rapidly. Our aim was to document baseline patterns of care and outcomes at the population level immediately prior to the introduction of immunotherapy.

Methods Data were obtained from the Queensland Oncology Repository. The study cohort comprised Queensland residents diagnosed with a non-metastatic primary NSCLC between 2011 and 2017, with follow-up on treatment and mortality to December 31, 2022. Poisson regression was used to determine patient and clinical characteristics associated with receiving different treatment modalities within 1 year of diagnosis. Variations in 5-year observed survival were assessed using flexible parametric modelling.

Results A total of 4445 people were included, of whom 30% were treated with surgery only, 15% with surgery plus chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and 44% with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy only. The remaining 10% did not receive any recorded treatment. People in outer regional/remote areas had lower rates of radiotherapy (relative likelihood [RL] = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78–0.97) and chemotherapy (RL = 0.89, 95% CI 0.81–0.98) than those in major cities, but there were no significant differences by First Nations status or socio-economic status. Five-year observed survival varied from 63% (95% CI 60%–65%) for stage I to 41% (38%–45%) for stage II and 20% (18%–22%) for stage III. The treatment modality significantly affected survival irrespective of stage at diagnosis (all p < 0.001).

Conclusion Monitoring treatment outcomes for early-stage NSCLC at the population level is crucial for optimizing patient care, resource allocation and informing consumer choice. Emerging approaches involving immunotherapy are expected to further improve outcomes.