ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Age adjusted incidence rate of lung cancer in India ranges from 7.4 to 13.1 per 100,000 among males and 3.9 to 5.8 per 100,000 among females. The factors affecting survival in lung cancer patients in India are not fully understood. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the factors affecting survival in patients diagnosed with lung cancer attending a tertiary care cancer institute in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Methods: Consecutive patients with primary lung cancer attending Bangalore Institute of Oncology, a tertiary care centre at Bangalore, between 2006 and 2009 were included. Demographic, clinical, radiological data were collected retrospectively from the medical records. Results: A total of 170 consecutive subjects (128 males, 42 females) diagnosed to have lung cancer; 151 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 19 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were included. A higher proportion of never-smokers (54.1%) were observed, mostly presenting below the age of 60 yr. Most subjects were in stage IV and III at the time of diagnosis. More than 50 per cent of patients presented with late stage lung cancer even though the duration of symptoms is less than 2 months. The 30-month overall survival rates for smokers and never-smokers were 32 and 49 per cent, respectively. No significant differences were observed in 30 month survival based on age at presentation, gender and type of lung cancer. Cox proportional hazards model identified never-smokers and duration of symptoms less than 1 month as factors adversely affecting survival. Interpretation & conclusions: Our results showed that lung cancer in Indians involved younger subjects and associated with poorer survival as compared to other ethnic population. Studies on large sample need to be done to evaluate risk factors in lung cancer patients.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , India/epidemiology , Lung Neoplasms/mortality , Middle Aged , Mortality , Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/mortality , Smoking , Survival Rate , Tertiary Care Centers , Young AdultABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to organize and summarize existing information on delayed medical attention for women with breast cancer and identify research needs in this area. This review is organized in six parts: origins and permanence of the message "do not delay" medical attention for potential cancer symptoms; definition and classification of breast cancer delay; impact of delay on breast cancer prognosis; factors related to breast cancer delay and the ways these have been studied; the study of breast cancer delay in Mexico; and directions for future research in developing countries, with a special focus on Mexico. We point out the need of a more integral study of delay that takes into account socio-structural and health services factors, in order to find modifiable factors towards which political actions should be directed to improve breast cancer medical attention in underdeveloped countries.
El objetivo de esta revisión es integrar información disponible con respecto al retraso en la atención médica del cáncer de mama e identificar necesidades de investigación en este tema. La revisión consta de seis apartados: origen del mensaje "no retrasar" ante la aparición de síntomas de cáncer; definición y clasificación del retraso en la atención del cáncer de mama; impacto del retraso sobre el pronóstico de la enfermedad; factores asociados con el retraso; la investigación del retraso en la atención del cáncer de mama en México; y necesidades de investigación en este tema. Se señala la necesidad de estudiar el retraso en la atención del cáncer de mama de forma más integral, tomando en cuenta características socio-estructurales y de servicios de salud, para identificar factores modificables hacia los cuales dirigir esfuerzos para mejorar la atención de esta enfermedad en países en vías de desarrollo.