Lung carcinoma in 1,336 patients.

Characteristics of 1336 successive lung cancer patients diagnosed between 1977 and 1986 according to the Tumor Registry of the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospitals were 92% smokers, 69% men, and 68% white. The histologic subtypes were 32% squamous cell carcinoma, 26% adenocarcinoma, 19% small-cell carcinoma, 12% large-cell carcinoma, 8% adenosquamous carcinoma, and 3% bronchioalveolar carcinoma. Age distribution was as follows: younger than 45, 8%; 45-54, 21%; 55-64, 36%; 65-74, 25%; and 75 years or older, 10%. Local stage constituted 15%; regional, 26%; and distant 60%. Women had a higher number of nonsmokers and adenocarcinoma. Black patients presented with lung carcinoma at a younger age than white patients. Younger patients and black patients presented with more advanced stages than older patients and white patients. The significant factors predictive of better survival were local stage and white race. Patients with bronchioloalveolar carcinoma had a better survival rate (p less than 0.02) than the other histologic subtypes, probably because of a higher incidence of local stage. There were no differences in survival between the other histologic subtypes. There were significant increases in adenocarcinoma (p less than 0.01) and adenosquamous histologies (p less than 0.025) and in distant stage (p less than 0.0001); but there were no significant changes in the age and sex distribution, smoking history, and survival rate at our center over the 10-year study period.