Trends in Stage I Lung Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The American Cancer Society noted an increase in localized lung cancer diagnoses post-2013 screening guidelines.
• Evaluating trends in early-stage lung cancer is crucial for understanding screening impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in Stage I lung cancer diagnoses using the National Cancer Database (NCDB).
• To assess how patient and tumor characteristics correlate with Stage I lung cancer diagnosis rates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the NCDB Public Benchmark Report for lung cancer patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2017.
• Evaluated Stage I-IV lung cancer cases based on AJCC seventh edition criteria, analyzing diagnosis year, histology, age, sex, race, and insurance status.

Main Results:

• Over 1.39 million eligible lung cancer patients were analyzed.
• The proportion of Stage I lung cancer increased from 23.5% to 29.1% overall between 2010 and 2017.
• Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed a similar increase, while small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) had a smaller rise. Stage I diagnosis rates varied by age, sex, race, and insurance status.

Conclusions:

• A significant increase in Stage I lung cancer diagnoses occurred from 2010-2017, predominantly in NSCLC.
• While early-stage diagnosis improved across patient groups, demographic disparities in these improvements were observed.