Survival in patients with lung cancer according to clinical stage and treatment

Abstract

Introduction: During the last decades there has been an increase in the incidence of lung cancer and survival in these patients is very low.

Objective: To describe the survival in patients with lung cancer treated in the service of the Clinical Trials Department of  Saturnino Lora Provincial Hospital, from January to December, 2019.

Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out from January to December, 2019 in patients diagnosed with lung cancer. The universe consisted of 69 patients. The variables studied were: age, sex, skin color, histological type, clinical stage, oncological treatment, response to the first line of treatment, and survival.

Results: An overall survival of 35 months was observed on average. Patients under 70 years of age (65.2 %), male (69.6 %) and mixed race (43.5 %) predominated. Those tumors without histological diagnosis prevailed (30.4 %). In the survival of less than 6 months, squamous cell carcinoma prevailed (33.3 %). Most of the patients were in stage IB (24.6 %). Patients with the longest survival received treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy (33.3 %). The 60.9 % presented complete remission at the end of the first line of treatment.

Conclusions: Advanced ages increase mortality in lung cancer, mainly in males. Patients diagnosed in the initial stages of the disease predominated. Those tumors without histological diagnosis prevailed. Chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy achieved greater survival. Most of the patients had complete remission.