Sex-specific Difference for Small Cell Lung Cancer from Immunotherapy Advancement

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Lung cancer treatment advances have improved survival rates.
• Assessing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) contributions to mortality trends, considering sex differences, is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze lung cancer mortality trends by subtype and sex.
• To evaluate the impact of recent therapeutic advancements on lung cancer outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of lung cancer mortality data based on subtype, gender, and calendar year (2001-2019).
• Utilized Joinpoint software to identify incidence and mortality trend changes.

Main Results:

• Both NSCLC and SCLC incidence and mortality declined annually from 2001-2019, with the sharpest decrease (5.71% annually) from 2016-2019.
• SCLC incidence-based mortality in women decreased by 5.23% (2016-2019) while incidence decreased by 2.59%.
• Survival rates improved significantly for women, with median overall survival for SCLC immunotherapy patients at 23 months compared to 13 months for men.

Conclusions:

• Population-level mortality for NSCLC and SCLC sharply decreased in the US from 2016-2019, coinciding with decreased incidence and improved survival.
• The observed mortality reduction is likely linked to the approval and use of immunotherapy, showing notable benefits for women with SCLC.