SURVIVAL IN LUNG-CANCER - AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF AGE, SEX, RESECTABILITY, AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC TYPE

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Abstract
Records of 6686 patients with primary lung malignancies were retrieved from a tumor registry. Survival curves according to histopathologic type demonstrate that patients with anaplastic tumors have a lower cumulative survival than those with either squamous cell cancers or adenocarcinomas (P < 0.001), but survival for the latter 2 histologic types is similar. Age at diagnosis influences survival, and women with squamous or anaplastic tumors have a better prognosis than men with the same cell types (P < 0.001). Although selection for resection is strongly associated with lower early mortality, all patients alive 2 yr after diagnosis have a similar prognosis regardless of initial resectability. Each survival curve shows a high early mortality and a lower late mortality, indicating that each group can be considered to consist of 2 subgroups with different risks of dying of lung cancer. A mathematical model is described that closely approximates the actuarial survival.