[A Japanese lung cancer registry study at 2002]

To publicize clinical results of Japanese lung cancer patients registered in 2002. Study design. In 2002, The Japanese Joint Committee for Lung Cancer Registration conducted a prospective observational study for lung cancer patients registered at starting treatments with follow-ups in 2004 and 2009. At first, 18,552 cases were registered from 358 institutes, while we analyzed 14,695 samples whose living periods could be identified.

There were two times males as many as females with a mean age of 67.1 years. The most frequent histology was adenocarcinoma in 56.7%, following squamous cell carcinoma in 25.7% and small cell carcinoma in 9.2%. Clinical stage was IA in 29.3%, IB in 15.3%, IIA in 1.4%, IIB in 6.2%, IIIA in 11.8%, IIIB in 14.6% and IV in 21.0%. Surgery was performed in 8454 cases (57.5%). Five-year survival rate was 44.3% for all patients, 14.7% for cases of small cell carcinoma, 46.8% for non-small cell carcinoma, 59.6% for surgery cases, 8.5% for no surgery cases, 37.7% for males and 59.0% for females. The rates in clinical stage settings in cases of small cell carcinoma and non small cell carcinoma, was 52.7% and 79.4% for IA, 39.3% and 56.7% for IB, 31.7% and 49.0% for IIA, 29.9% and 42.3% for IIB, 17.2% and 30.9% for IIIA, 12.4% and 16.7% for IIIB and 3.8% and 5.8% for IV, respectively.

An analysis of Japanese lung cancer patients registered in 2002 revealed that the most frequent histology type was adenocarcinoma following squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma. Prognosis in 5 years was superior in cases of female, non small cell lung cancer and surgery to those of male, small cell lung cancer and no surgery, respectively. Further investigation is needed with respect to dependences of those survival differences.