Status of coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its clinicopathological features in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery: a cross-sectional study of 3,006 cases

Lung cancer is often complicated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Coexistence of COPD has significant impacts on the decision-making process for lung cancer surgery as well as the postoperative effects. This study aimed to investigate the status of coexisting COPD and analyze its clinicopathological characteristics in lung cancer patients undergoing surgical resection. Clinical data of 3,006 patients with resected primary lung cancer from January 2008 to April 2014 were analyzed. Status of coexisting COPD was evaluated according to patient's lung function. Differences of clinicopathological characteristics between the COPD group and the non-COPD group were compared. A total of 643 patients (21.4%) were complicated with COPD. The average age of patients with COPD (64.9±8.5 years) was significantly older than those without COPD (59.4±9.9 years). The percentage of males (85.7% 54.0%) and current smokers (43.4% 22.5%) were both higher in the COPD group than the non-COPD group (P