Status of coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its clinicopathological features in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery: a cross-sectional study of 3,006 cases.

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is often complicated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Coexistence of COPD has significant impacts on the decision-making process for lung cancer surgery as well as the postoperative effects. This study aimed to investigate the status of coexisting COPD and analyze its clinicopathological characteristics in lung cancer patients undergoing surgical resection.

METHODS

Clinical data of 3,006 patients with resected primary lung cancer from January 2008 to April 2014 were analyzed. Status of coexisting COPD was evaluated according to patient's lung function. Differences of clinicopathological characteristics between the COPD group and the non-COPD group were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 643 patients (21.4%) were complicated with COPD. The average age of patients with COPD (64.9±8.5 years) was significantly older than those without COPD (59.4±9.9 years). The percentage of males (85.7% 54.0%) and current smokers (43.4% 22.5%) were both higher in the COPD group than the non-COPD group (P<0.05). The percentage of patients with initial symptoms was higher in the COPD group than the non-COPD group (63.9% 44.5%, P<0.05). The average white blood cell count was higher in the COPD group than the non-COPD group [(6.72±2.28 6.28±2.24) ×10/L, P<0.05]. The percentage of tumor size more than 3 cm was higher in the COPD group than the non-COPD group (53.2% 38.0%, P<0.05). Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 47.6% in the COPD group while adenocarcinoma accounted for 72.4% in the non-COPD group (P<0.05). A higher percentage of lung cancer with poor differentiation was found in the COPD group than the non-COPD group (53.2% 43.6%, P<0.05). The median total and postoperative length of hospital stay were significantly longer in the COPD group than the non-COPD group (13 11 days, 8 7 days, respectively, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

COPD is a common comorbidity of early stage lung cancer. Lung cancer patients with coexistence of COPD have obviously different clinicopathological features compared to patients without COPD, which requires special attention and management during the perioperative period of lung cancer.