Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death due to its high incidence and low survival rate, but this trend may begin to reverse in the future. A recent study published in the scientific journal Lung Cancer Journal, conducted on a population basis with patients from the Girona region, has revealed significant improvements in lung cancer survival rates over the past 26 years. The study resulted from a collaboration among three research groups, all from the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) in Girona and the Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGI): the Precision Oncology group (comprised of members of Medical Oncology), the Metabolism and Cancer group, and the Cancer Descriptive Epidemiology, Genetics, and Prevention group.
Thirty years of lung cancer evolution in the Girona region.
The study analyzed 9,113 cases of lung cancer diagnosed between 1994 and 2019, with follow-up until December 2022, and shows that patient survival has increased significantly, reflecting advances in diagnosis and treatment. Thus, over the analyzed period, a slow but steady improvement in survival has been observed.
On the other hand, the overall three-year survival rate increased from 13.4% between 1994 and 2002 to 21.7% in the period between 2012 and 2019, representing an annual increase of 0.33%. These improvements in survival are particularly notable among patients with squamous cell carcinoma, who have experienced the largest increase in survival rates, followed by adenocarcinoma.
Prognostic factors that may influence survival.
The researchers involved in this study have analyzed how population factors influence patient survival. The stage of the tumor at diagnosis stands out as it indicates the extent of the cancer or whether it has spread to other organs, which is key to predicting patient survival. However, there are other factors, such as age, time of diagnosis, histological type, and patient gender. In this regard, gender is relevant, as men have been observed to have a 30% higher risk of death than women with the disease. According to lung cancer specialist and lead author of the study, Eduard Teixidor, "this study represents the first effort in Girona to analyze how lung cancer survival is evolving and the efforts to improve outcomes for the world’s deadliest cancer." He adds, "it fortunately shows a slow but steady improvement, offering hope for the future of oncology." The results are optimistic and could contribute to future public health strategies to better address the disease.
You can consult the study at the following link: Lung cancer survival trends and prognostic factors: a 26 year-population-based study in Girona province, Spain’
Reference article: Teixidor-Vilà E, Trallero J, Puigdemont M, Vidal-Vila A, Hernandez-Martínez A, Sais E, Sabaté-Ortega J, Verdura S, Menendez JA, Bosch-Barrera J, Sanvisens A, Marcos-Gragera R. Lung cancer survival trends and prognostic factors: A 26-year population-based study in Girona Province, Spain. Lung Cancer. 2024 Oct 20;197:107995. DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2024.107995. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39447337.
