Lung Cancer Versus "Young Cancer": Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Young Patients a Different Entity?

Authors

BRATOVÁ Monika BRAT Kristián HURDALKOVA Karolina BARINOVA Magda DROSSLEROVA Marie KULTAN Juraj WANKE Matyas KOUBKOVA Leona KREJCI Jana SVATON Martin

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT ONCOLOGY
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Medicine

Citation
Web https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jayao.2021.0069
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2021.0069
Keywords non-small cell lung cancer; young patients; younger than the age of 40 years; overall survival; prognosis; mutations
Description Purpose: Aim was to analyze demographic and tumor characteristics, treatment, and survival of patients with lung cancer younger than 40 years of age (U40) compared to older subgroups (41-70 and >70 years).

Methods: We analyzed data of young patients diagnosed and treated in 2011-2019 in five pneumo-oncology centers in Czechia. Standard descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, Fisher exact test, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used. p-Values <0.05 were considered significant. These data were compared with two control subgroups (cohort 1: 41-70 years, cohort 2: >70 years).

Results: We identified 66 patients U40, 61 with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-50.8% men, mean age 34.6 years, 54.1% nonsmokers, daily good performance status, and 82% in stage IV. Adenocarcinomas dominated, endothelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) positivity was less common than in older groups contrary to anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations. Median progression-free survival was 3.7 months (vs. 4.9 and 6.2 months; p = 0.006) and overall survival reached 11.7 months (vs. 22.3 and 27.3 months; p < 0.001). Young patients in stage IV and never-smokers had shorter survival than older patients.

Conclusion: Patients with NSCLC U40 had significantly worse prognosis than older patients.

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