Different pulmonary adenocarcinoma growth patterns significantly affect survival

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Pathology

Background:

• Lung adenocarcinoma (AC) is a major cancer type, characterized by heterogeneous histopathological growth patterns.
• Understanding the prognostic implications of these growth patterns is vital for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term survival rates of patients with predominant histopathological growth patterns in lung adenocarcinoma.
• To identify specific growth patterns associated with patient prognosis.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 163 patients with lung adenocarcinoma who underwent pulmonary resection (2012-2017), excluding those with lymph node involvement or distant metastases.
• Comparison of survival rates based on predominant growth patterns (>10% vs. <10% of specific subtypes).
• Utilized Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models to assess survival and identify prognostic factors.

Main Results:

• Patients with predominant solid tumor growth (>10%) exhibited significantly lower 1, 3, and 5-year overall survival rates compared to those with <10% solid growth.
• Predominant solid tumor growth (>10%) was identified as an independent prognostic factor for worse long-term survival (Hazard ratio: 3.05, p=0.01).
• No significant survival differences were observed for predominant papillary or acinar growth patterns.

Conclusions:

• The presence of a predominant solid pattern in pulmonary adenocarcinoma is associated with an unfavorable prognosis.
• This finding has important implications for clinical decision-making and patient counseling.