Non-small cell lung cancer in ever-smokers vs never-smokers

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pulmonology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality.
• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) incidence is rising in never-smokers (NS).
• This study compares NSCLC in never-smokers (NS) versus ever-smokers (S).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical, imaging, pathology, and outcomes between NS and S NSCLC patients.
• To identify significant differences in NSCLC presentation and prognosis based on smoking history.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 155 NSCLC patients (67 NS, 88 S).
• Evaluated clinical, imaging, and pathology findings at initial biopsy for staging.
• Primary outcome: all-cause mortality; Secondary outcome: 12-month progression-free survival.

Main Results:

• Imaging features (nodule size, calcification, invasion) were similar between NS and S.
• NS patients more frequently presented with extrathoracic metastases and stage IV disease.
• NS patients more commonly had adenocarcinoma histology compared to S patients.

Conclusions:

• CT nodule features were similar in never-smokers (NS) and ever-smokers (S) with NSCLC.
• NS patients were more often diagnosed with metastatic adenopathy and stage IV disease.
• Ever-smokers (S) faced nearly double the mortality risk at 5 and 10 years post-diagnosis, despite similar early survival rates.