Lung cancer in Spain: information from the Thoracic Tumors Registry (TTR study)

Abstract

Background: Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality worldwide. Although Spain contributes to global statistics related to cancer, it is difficult to discern aspects linked to clinical presentation of the disease or molecular testing. The Thoracic Tumor Registry (TTR) was created with the aim of filling this gap.Methods: Observational cohort multicenter study performed in Spain, including patients with lung cancer or other types of thoracic tumors undergoing active treatment or palliative care only. Enrollment took place between August 2016 and December 2018. The evaluation included a review of demographic, epidemiological, clinical and molecular data.Results: A total of 6,600 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were recruited at 56 Spanish hospitals. The mean age at diagnosis was 64 years. The majority of patients (80%) presented with advanced disease, being adenocarcinoma the most frequent histological type. Up to 86% of patients were current-or ex-smokers, with men starting to smoke earlier than women (average age 17.9 vs. 19.2 years).Sixty-seven percent of patients underwent some type of molecular testing. Mutations in EGFR and KRAS genes were found in 18% and 28% of patients, respectively.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the TTR study accurately describes the clinical reality of lung cancer in Spain, including useful information on smoking status as well as molecular profiling and tumor histology, and can therefore be used to drive improvements in health care. Social and political pressure to reduce tobacco consumption among the population should be reinforced, particularly among youth.

Epidemiology of lung cancer in Northern Greece: An 18- year hospital-based cohort study focused on the differences between smokers and non-smokers

“…Similar results have been reported in an earlier analysis of data beginning almost four decades ago from the same Hospital, focusing in two-decade differences in another target population (the region of Thrace included) 18 . In contrast, in other populations, adenocarcinoma has been found to be the most common type 19,20 . It is a fact that prior to the 1970s, squamous-cell carcinoma was the most common histological type of NSCLC, however, since about 1975, in the majority of populations a pathologic shift has occurred, reporting adenocarcinoma as the predominant histological subtype of NSCLC 4,21 .…”

Lung cancer symptoms at diagnosis: results of a nationwide registry study

“…In terms of epidemiological design, this was a retrospective analysis of prospectively and retrospectively collected information from cases drawn from the Thoracic Tumour Registry managed by the Spanish Lung Cancer Group (SLCG), an independent cooperative group made up of more than 500 members, fundamentally medical oncologists. 9 In 2015, we decided to initiate a nationwide multicentre epidemiological study aimed at ascertaining the characteristics of lung cancer cases, their treatments and survival, in an effort to offset the existing lack of information caused by the absence of a national cancer registry. The study was designed to be opened to all Spanish hospitals; the first patient was enrolled in August 2016 and the recruitment is still ongoing.…”

“…In terms of epidemiological design, this was a retrospective analysis of prospectively and retrospectively collected information from cases drawn from the Thoracic Tumour Registry managed by the Spanish Lung Cancer Group (SLCG), an independent cooperative group made up of more than 500 members, fundamentally medical oncologists. 9 …”

Impact of Covid-19 in the field of oncology

“…Estos síntomas son muy similares a los que ya per sé presenta el paciente oncológico con cáncer de pulmón, por lo que la primera dificultad va a ser diferenciar y diagnosticar entre síntomas de una y otra enfermedad, más aún en los casos sin fiebre. Es cierto que otros síntomas presentes y no habituales en el contexto del cáncer de pulmón (18) tico diferencial como son la diarrea (27%) u otros síntomas digestivos, la cefalea, la anosmia o la ageusia entre otros (19). La astenia también puede ser un síntoma a incluir en el diagnóstico diferencial puesto que es muy habitual en la infección por SARS-CoV2 y es un síntoma muy frecuente con el que conviven un porcentaje elevado de los pacientes oncológicos.…”