Small cell lung cancer in the young: Characteristics, diagnosis and outcome data

Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) younger than 40 years are limited in number. Our research aimed to assess the characteristics, diagnosis and outcomes of this patient population.

Records of patients under the age of 40 with SCLC at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2006 and December 2015 were reviewed and evaluated.

One hundred and three patients (67.0% limited stage, 33.0% extensive stage) were included, along with 54 (52.4%) never-smokers. The median diagnostic interval and the median survival time (MST) were 51.0 days and 24.0 months, respectively. A total of 41 (39.8%) patients claimed to have undergone antibiotic treatment before diagnosis, with a median duration of 2 weeks. In univariate analysis, survival was better for the limited stage group than the extensive stage group (MST, 28.0 vs. 13.0 months, P < 0.0001). Also, patients who received concurrent radiochemotherapy had better survival than those who received chemotherapy alone (MST, 29.0 vs. 18.0 months, P = 0.001). Patients with antibiotic treatment before SCLC diagnosis have worse prognosis than those without (MST, 21.0 vs. 27.0 months, P = 0.008). Moreover, a timely diagnosis (≤1 month) exerted a positive impact on the overall survival in limited stage patients (48.0 vs. 26.0 months, P = 0.047) and on progression-free survival in extensive stage patients (6.0 vs. 3.0 months, P = 0.030). Multivariate analysis suggested that disease stage, history of antibiotic treatment before SCLC diagnosis and performance status independently correlated with survival.

Our study identified distinct characteristics and prognostic factors of SCLC patients under 40 years. More timely care may improve patient prognosis.