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. 2018 Apr-Jun;13(2):76-81.
doi: 10.4103/atm.ATM_243_17.

Causes of death in long-term survivors of non-small cell lung cancer: A regional Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results study

Amaraja A Kanitkar  1 , Ann G Schwartz  2 , Julie George  2 , Ayman O Soubani  1
Affiliations

Causes of death in long-term survivors of non-small cell lung cancer: A regional Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results study

Amaraja A Kanitkar et al. Ann Thorac Med. 2018 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: Survival from lung cancer is improving. There are limited data on the causes of death in 5-year survivors of lung cancer. The aim of this study is to explore the causes of death in long-term survivors of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and describe the odds of dying from causes other than lung cancer in this patient population.

Methods: An analysis of 5-year survivors of newly diagnosed NSCLC from 1996 to 2007, in Metropolitan Detroit included in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, was done.

Results: Of 23,059 patients identified, 3789 (16.43%) patients were alive at 5-year period (long-term survivors) and 1897 (50.06%) patients died in the later follow-up period (median 88 months; range 1-219 months). The causes of death besides lung cancer were observed in 55.2% of these patients. The most common causes of death were cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) (16%), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (11%), and other malignancies (8%). Patients older than 65 years, males, and those who underwent surgery for treatment of lung cancer faced a greater likelihood of death by other causes as compared to lung cancer (OR: 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-1.77; OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02-1.51; and OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.82, respectively).

Conclusions: Five-year survivors of NSCLC more commonly die from causes such as CVDs, lung diseases, and other malignancies. Aggressive preventive and therapeutic measures of these diseases may further improve the outcome in this patient population.

Keywords: Cause of death; five-year survival; lung neoplasm.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Survival curve for non-small cell lung cancer patients in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Detroit database from years 1996 to 2007
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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