Persistent excess mortality from lung cancer in patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer, disease-free after 5 years

2003

Long-term survival in lung cancer patients after 5 years

Sample size: 134 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Pasini F, Verlato G, Durante E, de Manzoni G, Valduga F, Accordini S, Pedrazzani C, Terzi A, Pelosi G

Primary Institution: Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy

Hypothesis

Do patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer who are disease-free after 5 years have a higher incidence of new cancers compared to the general population?

Conclusion

Patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer who are disease-free after 5 years have a higher incidence of new lung cancers, leading to increased mortality.

Supporting Evidence

Patients disease-free at 5 years had a 10-year disease-related survival rate of 57%.
26 patients (19.4%) developed a second cancer after 5 years, significantly higher than expected.
The overall SMR was 1.73, indicating increased mortality compared to the general population.
Mortality due to lung cancer was nearly six times higher than expected in the study population.

Takeaway

If you have lung cancer but are healthy after 5 years, you might still get new cancers later, which can be dangerous.

Methodology

The study followed 134 patients with stage I NSCLC who were disease-free at 5 years, comparing their morbidity and mortality rates with the general population.