The prevalence of lung cancer in vascular surgery patients

Inhalative cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic disease as well as primary carcinoma of the lung. On that account, this study was performed to determine the prevalence of primary lung cancer on admission in patients scheduled for vascular surgery. All patients presenting to our department for an intervention are screened for lung diseases. If this pretherapeutic examination suggests the existence of a lung tumor further diagnostic procedures are performed. Making use of a prospective computer-assisted patient-documentation system, we analysed incidental findings of lung cancer in those patients admitted for elective surgery. Between Jan. 1st 1990 and October 31st 1994, we electively treated 2214 patients with the diagnosis of vascular stenosis (n = 1711/77.3%) or atherosclerotic aneurysms (n = 503/22.7%) in our department. In 16 of these patients (m:f = 13:3; age 50-72 [mean: 61.1] years) a carcinoma of the lung was detected during preoperative diagnostic procedures, a prevalence of 0.72%. All these patients were smokers, with a daily inhalative nicotine consumption averaging 25 cigarettes per day for a mean of 35 years. 8 patients underwent a surgical (n = 6) or other invasive (n = 2) vascular interventions. In 8 patients no vascular intervention was performed because of the revealed lung carcinoma. The prevalence of lung cancer in a population of vascular patients in the present study is in accord with data of older investigations of high-risk groups. Only 2 out of 16 lung cancers were detected at a prognostically favourable stage. Smokers with symptoms of vascular disease should be carefully examined for signs of lung cancer.