Clinical-epidemiological study on advanced non-small cell lung cancer

To assess the clinical and epidemiological features of all three main histological types of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The study included 34 patients with NSCLC admitted to specialized units of the Iasi Regional Cancer Institute (IRCI) in the interval May 2012 - May 2014. Data were collected electronically based on a clinical-epidemiological survey form. The obtained data were then processed and interpreted by statistical-mathematical methods using the correlation index (significant at p < or = 0.05 and highly significant at p < 0.005), chi-square and Y tests. Data were analyzed using SPSS 13.0 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, Illinois, USA).

Most NSCLC patients were aged 56-71 years, the Pearson correlation index between age and diagnosis being p = 0.01. Sex difference was highly significant (p = < 0.001) and so was the relationship between heavy smoking and age groups. Most cases were histogenetically classified as adenocarcinomas (22%). Four patients (21%) were in stage IIIA NSCLC, 4 (21%) IIIB, 9 (47.3%) IV, and 15 (79%) unspecified stage. All patients received primary chemotherapy. Single or associated complications included anemia and other hematologic disorders (26-74.6%), respiratory failure, hemoptysis, cachexia, atelectasis, etc. Surgery was performed in 5 (14.7%) stage IIIA NSCLC patients.

NSCLC showed a highly significant predominance in the age groups 56-71 years, and the most common histologic type was adenocarcinoma. All patients received primary chemotherapy, and patients with stage IIIA underwent surgery. Anemia and other hematologic disorders were the most common complications.