The trend of epidemiological data in patients with lung cancer addressed to a Romanian tertiary pneumology service

Introduction. The lung cancer has an increased incidence and is associated with the highest death by cancer worldwide. It represents a heterogenous disease with variability in trends and has a severe socio-economical impact. That is why it should be continuously monitored, especially in countries without national registries or screening programs. The objective of the study was to identify the epidemiological trend in patients with lung cancer addressed to a Romanian tertiary pneumology service. Material and methods. We performed a retrospective study on 660 patients diagnosed with lung cancer: the first group of 260 patients diagnosed between 2001-2004, and the second group of 400 patients diagnosed between 2009-2010. Results. Patients from the first group had a mean age of 61.20±11.14 years. 80.80% of them were men and 80.76% smokers. The main symptoms were cough (46.92%) and dyspnea (45%). The most frequent histological subtype was squamous cell carcinoma (44.13%). Only 35 patients from the first group underwent surgery. In 2004, from 260 patients enrolled, 20 were still alive. In the second group the mean age was 63.97±10.27 years. 79.05% were men and 84.29% smokers. The main symptoms were cough (58.12%) and dyspnea (40.10%). The most frequent histological subtype was the squamous cell carcinoma (47.13%). Surgery was performed in 65 patients (16.25%) and they had mean survival of 50 months. Conclusions. The incidence of lung cancer is increasing, especially in centers without screening programs. There is no change in male prevalence over the years. Despite the fact that, worldwide, adenocarcinoma has increased incidence, in our study squamous cell carcinoma was the main histological subtype. The delays in diagnosis remain similar. The majority of patients are still diagnosed in advanced stages, when curative treatment cannot be applied.