This is an important and effective new treatment, which should be more widely available

Professor Gordon McVie

However, no cancer centre in Scotland is able to offer the treatment.

The Scottish Executive has admitted the treatment is not being offered.

Although it added that it would benefit only a minority of patients and said it was investing in cancer treatment.

Cancer Research Campaign director, Professor Gordon McVie, called for patients to demand better treatment.

He said: "It is shocking and deeply unfair to Scottish lung cancer patients that none of the cancer centres in Scotland can give this treatment now that the research has finished.

"This is an important and effective new treatment, which should be more widely available.

"We want people to start demanding better treatment and better resources for lung cancer and this is a good case in point."

Patients receive high doses of radiation

The treatment, which sees patients given radiotherapy three times a day, was developed in 10 years of research by the charity's scientists and is seen by doctors as an effective treatment for some lung cancer patients.

The charity was backed in its call by Dr Noelle O'Rourke, a leading lung cancer clinician at the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust.

She said: "This raises the difficult question as to whether we should now be referring Scottish lung cancer patients to centres in England as we are not in a position to offer the most effective treatment."

An executive spokeswoman said more was being invested in cancer and it was committed to publishing a cancer plan.

Claims rejected

She said: "Chart is resource-intensive in terms of people and machines.

"Not all lung cancer patients would benefit from Chart - and this is not made clear by the Cancer Research Campaign, which implies that all lung cancer patients can benefit.

"Only a minority of Scots with lung cancer might potentially benefit because in the vast majority of cases their tumors are too advanced or they are otherwise unsuitable for this type of treatment."