Lung cancer in women compared with men: stage, treatment, and survival

doi:10.1016/S0003-4975(98)00557-8

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery

Volume 66, Issue 4, October 1998, Pages 1140-1143

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-4975(98)00557-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Background. In cardiac disease there appears to be a difference in the treatment of men and women, and thus an advantage in survival in men. This study aimed to determine whether these differences exist in lung cancer.

Methods. We undertook a retrospective cohort study in a university hospital. The study population consisted of 104 consecutive women and 104 consecutive men with newly diagnosed lung cancer between March 1988 and June 1990. The following information was collected: sex, age, presenting symptoms, investigations, histology, stage, treatment, and survival.

Results. The location of the tumor, presenting symptoms, investigations, and stages were similar in men and women. There was a difference in the distribution of the various histologic types of lung cancer: Small cell lung cancer was more frequent in women (25% versus 11.5% in men) and squamous cell carcinoma more frequent in men (38% in women versus 51% in men). The overall survival was similar among the two sexes, but there was a survival advantage in women when adjusted for stage.

Conclusions. There was a higher incidence of small cell carcinoma in women and squamous cell carcinoma in men. There was evidence of a difference in the survival rate of lung cancer in favor of women according to stage.

Section snippets

Material and methods

To avoid any bias related to the study goal (comparing lung cancer in men and women), a retrospective study was performed. The study population consisted of 104 consecutive women and 104 men with newly diagnosed lung cancer between the period of March 1988 and June 1990 at a university hospital. The charts were reviewed and the following information was collected by an independent observer: demography (sex, age at diagnosis, site of cancer, histology, stage, presenting symptoms, and

Results

The study population consisted of 208 patients (104 women and 104 men). There was no difference in mean age for female and male patients: 60.97 ± 10.89 and 61.49 ± 10.29 years, respectively.

There was a difference in the distribution of the different histologic types of lung cancer between men and women which was statistically different (p = 0.028) (Table 1). Small cell carcinoma of the lung was found more frequently in women (25% in women versus 11.5% in men). Among the non–small cell lung

Comment

In the keynote address at the National conference on Gynecologic Cancers in Orlando in spring 1992, Ho [9] stated that lung cancer had replaced uterine cancer among the cancers causing the highest mortality in women. Indeed there was a 500% increase mortality caused by lung cancer in women between 1950 and 1985 [10]. Ho also noted that breast cancer remains the leading cause of death. This was no longer true by 1997, as lung cancer had superseded breast cancer as the leading cause of death in

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Original ArticlesLung cancer in women compared with men: stage, treatment, and survival

Abstract

Section snippets

Material and methods

Results

Comment

Am J Med

As Canadians butt out, the developing world lights up

Can Med Assoc J

Mortality attributable to tobacco use in Canada and its regions, 1991

Can J Public Health

Sex differences in the use of invasive coronary procedure in Ontario

Can J Cardiol

Sex differences in the management of coronary artery diseasesurvival and ventricular enlargement investigators

N Engl J Med

Sex-related differences in coronary revascularization practicesperspectives from a Canadian queue management project

Can Med Assoc J

Sex differences in early and long-term results of coronary angioplasty in the NHLBI PTCA registry

Circulation

Sex differences in mortality after myocardial infarctionis there evidence for an increased risk for women?

Circulation

Original Articles
Lung cancer in women compared with men: stage, treatment, and survival