Evolving sociodemographic trends with survival analysis in lung carcinoma: 6-year insight from Regional Cancer Center (RCC) of North India

Abstract Background It is important to be cognizant of the evolving demographics, clinicopathological features, and overall survival (OS) associated with lung carcinoma to devise new strategies for improvement. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the same at the Regional Cancer Center of Haryana (India). Material and methods A retrospective observational study of carcinoma lung cases registered from January 2015 to December 2020 was conducted analyzing demographics, clinicopathological profile, and OS. Risk factors were compared by log-rank test for univariate analysis. Results A total of 376 patients with a median age of 60 years were evaluated. Male to female ratio was 5.16:1. Out of total patients, 86.9% were smokers with a mean smoking index of 717.09. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was diagnosed in 84.31%, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in 14.89%, and superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome in 0.8% of patients. The most frequent histology among NSCLC patients was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (41.49%), followed by adenocarcinoma (31.12%). Performance score was 2 or above in 98.1% of patients. Median OS was 3 months (range 0.3–84 months). Median survival was 3, 2, and 0.4 months in NSCLC, SCLC, and SVC syndrome patients, respectively ( p -value 0.483). Among NSCLC patients, the median OS in stage II patients was 9 months and in stage III and IV patients was 3 months, while in SCLC, the survival was 3 and 2 months in stage III and IV patients, respectively ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Most frequent histopathology was SCC, and smoking was the major risk factor. The study showcased dismal survival in advanced-stage patients. Thus, there is an urgent need to create awareness to seek early medical attention and quick diagnostics.