Comorbidity as a prognostic factor in small cell lung cancer

Many factors have prognostic significance in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The aim of this study was to define the prognostic factors influencing the response to therapy and the survival in SCLC.

A consecutive series of 90 patients with SCLC was analyzed retrospectively using 32 pretreatment and 3 treatment-related prognostic factors with respect to their influence on survival. Prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate analysis and by the Cox multivariate regression model. Patients who survived more than 2 months were included in the univariate analysis.

The median survival of the whole population was 7 months, with a 1-year survival rate of 20%. In univariate analysis, prognosis was significantly influenced by gender, comorbidity, thoracic irradiation, receipt of more than 3 cycles of chemotherapy, response to chemotherapy, and performance status. The Cox model identified comorbidity (P = 0.03), receipt of more than 3 cycles of chemotherapy (P = 0.003) and response to chemotherapy (P = 0.002) as the only significant factors.

The prognosis of SCLC is poor, and comorbidity information should be included in prognostic studies.