title: Lung cancer in patients younger than 40 years of age.
abstract: The records of 52 patients younger than 40 years of age who had bronchogenic carcinoma diagnosed between 1965 and 1985 were reviewed. The preponderance of adenocarcinoma (54%), the lower male-female ratio in this age group compared with patients age 40 or older (2:1), the importance of cigarette smoking as a causative factor (80% of patients), the long mean duration of symptoms (5 months), and the high incidence of advanced stage at diagnosis (77% Stages III and IV) in these patients are findings similar to those reported in other published series. There was no significant difference in resectability (23% versus 19%), median survival length (5.3 months versus 6.9 months), median survival length of patients who had surgical resection (10.5 months versus 10.8 months), and 5-year survival rate (11.5% versus 6.3%) in these patients compared with a randomly selected group of 260 patients with lung cancer who were age 40 or older.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, West Virginia University, Charleston Division.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jubelirer
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D015996:Survival Rate