Superior surgical tolerance and effectiveness among lung cancer patients who have never versus ever smoked: a retrospective cohort analysis using real-world clinical data.

BACKGROUND

Mounting evidence suggests that lung cancers differ meaningfully between those with and without a smoking history, including clinical and biological differences that may impact treatment efficiency. However, there is a dearth of real-world, patient-level evidence comparing demographic, clinical, tumor and surgical characteristics of lung cancers among those who have never ever smoked, as well as surgical outcomes. This study sought to fill these research gaps.

METHODS

Information on patient characteristics, including smoking history, and surgical outcomes was extracted from a real-world thoracic surgery database in New York City. Pearson tests and Spearman tests were used for univariate analysis comparing patients with and without a smoking history; outcomes of surgery were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 1,587 surgically treated lung cancer patients, 332 (20.9%) were cases of lung cancer among those who had never smoked (LCNS) 1,255 (79.1%) cases of lung cancer among those who had ever smoked (LCES). LCNS patients were younger, more likely to be female, and Hispanic; these patients also appeared to be healthier in pre-operative assessment and to have a higher likelihood of lobectomy compared to wedge surgical resection. LCNS tumors were more likely to be adenocarcinoma or neuroendocrine, be located in the lower lobe, and carry mutations (P>0.05 for all univariate comparisons). Post-surgical outcomes appear to be better for LCNS patients; the relative odds of both additional lung surgery [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28-0.94] and mortality (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.34-0.93) were lower in LCNS LCES patients, even after adjustment for confounding; odds of post-surgical complications were lower among LCNS patients, but this was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

LCNS and LCES surgical patients differ meaningfully in terms of clino-demographic factors. Our results support surgery as a safe and effective treatment option for LCNS.