Lung cancer: histology, staging, treatment and survival.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze principal histological types of lung cancer, as well as the staging, treatment and survival of lung cancer patients.


METHODS
This was a retrospective study based on the analysis of medical charts of patients treated at the Botucatu School of Medicine Hospital das Clínicas over a six-year period.


RESULTS
From January of 2000 to January of 2006, 240 patients with lung cancer, most (64%) of whom were male, were treated. The most common histological type was squamous cell carcinoma (37.5%), followed by adenocarcinoma (30%), neuroendocrine carcinoma (19.6%) and large cell carcinoma (6.6%). Only 131 patients (54.6%) were treated. Of those, 52 patients (39.7%) received only chemotherapy, 32 (24.4%) were treated with chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, and 47 (35.9%) were submitted to surgery alone or surgery accompanied by chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy. Only 27 patients (20.6%) were submitted to surgery alone. Concerning staging, 34.4% presented stage IV at the time of diagnosis, 20.6% presented stage IIIB, 16.8% presented stage IIIA, and the remaining 28.2% were classified as stage I or II. Five-year survival was 65% for those in stage I and 25% for those in the remaining stages.


CONCLUSIONS
Of the various histological types, the most common was squamous cell carcinoma and the least common was large cell carcinoma. Most cases presented advanced stages at the moment of diagnosis, and less than 30% of the cases presented early stages. This accounts for the low survival rate and the small number of patients submitted to surgical treatment alone, the majority being submitted to chemotherapy alone.
Novaes
Fabiola Trocoli
FT
Department of Surgery, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu School of Medicine, Botucatu, Brazil.
Cataneo
Daniele Cristina
DC
Ruiz Junior
Raul Lopes
RL
Defaveri
Júlio
J
Michelin
Odair Carlito
OC
Cataneo
Antonio José Maria
AJ
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects