RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To characterize the histological and epidemiological features of male lung cancer patients in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The demographic and histological information about male lung cancer patients identified from 2000-01-01 to 2012-12-31, was collected from the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Relative frequencies (RF) were estimated for major histological subtypes and compared according to the years of diagnosis and birth.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The RF of adenocarcinoma (ADC) increased from 21.96% to 43.36% and the RF of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) decreased from 39.11% to 32.23% from 2000 to 2012 in the 15 427 male lung cancer patients included in this study (Z=17.909, P<0.0001; Z=-6.117, P<0.0001). The RF of ADC increased from 28.72% in 2000-2004, 36.88% in 2005-2008 to 48.61% in 2009-2012 in patients born after 1960. The age-adjusted RF of ADC in 2007-2012 increased consistently in all the investigated areas.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The increased RF of ADC in male lung cancer patients highlights the need for further investigation of the etiologic factors of these tumors. Smoke-free policies rather than modifying tobacco products should be enforced.</p>