Abstract
Objective This single-center retrospective review examines the unique characteristics of young patients (ages 18 to 40 years) who were diagnosed as having non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at Markey Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the state of Kentucky. Methods This retrospective study examines adult patients with NSCLC who were between ages 18 and 40 at diagnosis. Patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2018 were included. The final cohort consisted of 35 patients. The data collected included patient demographic information, tumor topography, clinical stage, cell type, treatment information/dates, metastasis, and survival data. Results In total, 36 of 3246 total NSCLC cases treated at Markey Cancer Center from 2012 to 2018 were diagnosed in adults aged 18 to 40 (1.11%); 35 of these 36 patients were included in our cohort. The majority (22; 62.86%) presented at an advanced stage of disease (stage III or IV). Furthermore, our cohort consisted of a strong majority of female patients (24; 68.57%). The most common histological type was adenocarcinoma (14; 40.00%). The 5-year survival rate was 47% (standard error 9%). Conclusions Lung cancer is rare in young patients; when present, often it presents at the advanced stage. Despite many diagnostic tools and treatment modalities available, long-term survival remains poor. Our experience showed a small proportion of patients with NSCLC aged 18 to 40 at diagnosis; among this unique patient population, there is a predominance of smokers, women, adenocarcinoma, and advanced disease.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 366-370 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Southern Medical Journal |
| Volume | 115 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Funding
S.J. has received compensation from the Professional Student Mentored Research Fellowship Project from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. T.M. has received compensation from the National Cancer Institute/ National Institutes of Health, the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, and OncoLens. The remaining authors did not report any financial relationships or conflicts of interest. This research was supported by the Cancer Research Informatics Shared Resource Facility of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (P30CA177558). The Professional Student Mentored Research Fellowship Project is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant no. UL1TR001998, UK HealthCare, and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Data were requested and furnished through the Honest Brokers of the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science. The project described was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant no. UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| University of Kentucky College of Medicine | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | |
| National Childhood Cancer Registry – National Cancer Institute | P30CA177558 |
| National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) | UL1TR001998 |
| University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center |
Keywords
- Kentucky
- adenocarcinoma
- carcinoid tumor
- non-small cell lung cancer
- young adult
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
