Lung Cancer at a University Hospital: Epidemiological and Histological Characteristics of a Recent and a Historical Series

Objective TO describe the clinical, histological, and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with lung cancer in our hospital over a period of 5 years and compare them with those of historical cases treated at the same hospital. Patients and methods The cases of patients diagnosed with lung cancer from January 1998 through December 2002 were studied retrospectively and compared with data published for the period from 1978 through March 1981. Results A total of 678 patients (89% men, mean age 67 years) were studied. Fifty-six percent of the men and 38% of the women were smokers ( P P P Conclusions Squamous cell carcinoma continues to be the most frequent histological type. Male sex and smoking are associated with squamous carcinoma and female sex is associated with adenocarcinoma. Epidemiological and histological patterns have changed, possibly in relation to changes in smoking habits.