title: Survival among patients with lung cancer. An epidemiologic study.
abstract: A series of 446 patients with lung cancer, comprising all cases diagnosed in a defined population of approximately 300,000 persons during a period of 4 yr, were studied prospectively and followed for 5 yr or until death. Histologic or cytologic confirmation of the diagnosis was achieved in 431 cases (97%). Only 140 patients (31%) were alive 1 yr after diagnosis, and only 19 patients (4%) were alive after 5 yr, with no significant difference between the men and women. The 5-yr. survival rates among patients with epidermoid. small-cell anaplastic, and adenocarcinoma were 6, 2, and 4%, respectively. The patients could also be divided into prognostically meaningful groups according to the symptomatic staging proposed by Feinstein. Of the 427 patients who had died within 5 yr, 410 (96%) had died of lung cancer and only 17 (4%) had died of other diseases.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies