Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Pulmonary tumours in the Netherlands: focus on temporal trends in histology and stage and on rare tumours
  1. W K de Jong1,
  2. M Schaapveld2,
  3. J L G Blaauwgeers3,
  4. H J M Groen1
  1. 1
    Department of Pulmonology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
  2. 2
    Comprehensive Cancer Center Northern Netherlands, Groningen, The Netherlands
  3. 3
    Department of Pathology, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  1. Dr W K de Jong, Department of Pulmonology, University Medical Center Groningen, P O Box 30.001, NL-9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands; w.k.de.jong{at}int.umcg.nl

Abstract

Background: Recent temporal trends in histology and stage of pulmonary tumours in the Netherlands were studied. The incidence of rare pulmonary tumours was determined.

Methods: All tumours originating from the trachea, bronchus and lung recorded in the Netherlands Cancer Registry were included. Based on ICD-O morphology codes, five major subgroups were constructed: squamous carcinoma (SC), adenocarcinoma (AC), large cell (undifferentiated) carcinoma (LC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and other (including uncommon tumours).

Results: Between 1989 and 2003, 134 894 tumours were diagnosed. In men the age-adjusted incidence of SC and SCLC decreased, AC remained stable and LC increased. In women the incidence of all subgroups increased. Since 1996, a stage shift was observed with fewer patients in stage I and more patients in stage IV at diagnosis. This stage shift occurred equally in SC, AC and LC. In SC, fewer patients presented with stage IV disease than in AC and LC (25% vs 44% and 49% in 2003, respectively). The incidence of adenosquamous carcinoma decreased from 0.6 to 0.29/100 000 (p<0.001). The incidence of carcinoid tumours, sarcomatoid carcinomas and primary pulmonary sarcomas remained stable (0.44, 0.17 and 0.08/100 000, respectively).

Conclusion: The incidence of smoking-related tumours decreased in men (especially SC and SCLC) and increased in women (all subgroups). More patients presented with stage IV disease. The incidence of non-smoking-related uncommon tumours remained constant.

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Funding: This study was supported by the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). No specific funding was available for this study.

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Ethics approval: This study was approved by the National Cancer Registry (NCR) scientific committee and all procedures were performed according to NCR privacy regulations.