Clinical features of adenosquamous lung carcinoma in 127 patients

Our plain-English summary of Clinical features of adenosquamous lung carcinoma in 127 patients, by K.S. Sridhar, M.J. Bounassi, W. Raub, et al (The American Review of Respiratory Disease, 1990).

The study

• Authors: K.S. Sridhar, M.J. Bounassi, W. Raub, S.P. Richman
• Journal: The American Review of Respiratory Disease
• Published: 1990;142(1):19-23
• Cited by: 33 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

There has been increased recognition of adenosquamous lung carcinoma since the 1982 modification of World Health Organization (WHO) histologic criteria. However, data on clinical features of this histologic subtype were nonexistent. Medical records of 127 patients with adenosquamous lung carcinoma were reviewed to determine the clinical features, namely, age, race, sex, smoking history, asbestos exposure, symptoms present at the time of diagnosis, stage, treatments, and survival. The age distribution was: less than 40 yr, 3%; 40 to 49, 17%; 50 to 59, 28%; 60 to 69, 32%; 70 to 79, 18%; greater than or equal to 80, 2%. Men constituted 72%, and 90% were smokers. Four smokers had documented asbestos exposure. The symptoms in order of decreasing frequency were cough, weight loss, expectoration, anorexia, chest pain, dyspnea, weakness, hemoptysis, pneumonia, fever, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and chills. Stage could be ascertained in 120 (95%) patients. Local stage constituted 10%, regional constituted 30%, and distant constituted 60%. Local stage had the best survival, with a projected 5-yr survival of 62%. Median survivals in regional and distant stages were 8 and 4 months, respectively. Symptoms of adenosquamous lung carcinoma were similar to other histologies. Most patients present in regional or distant stages. Local-stage patients had a good long-term survival after surgical excision of the tumor.

In plain English

This was a retrospective review of the medical records of 127 patients diagnosed with adenosquamous lung carcinoma, a lung cancer with both squamous and glandular parts. The patients were diagnosed between 1975 and 1988 at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, and 92 were men. Smoking history was recorded for 108 patients: 92 smoked cigarettes, 3 smoked cigarettes and cigars, 2 smoked cigars, and 11 were nonsmokers. Asbestos exposure was documented in four patients, all men who also smoked. The article gives no details of fiber types, jobs or amounts of exposure. All patients had symptoms, most often cough. Stage could be determined in 120 patients: 10% had local disease, 30% regional and 60% distant. Survival was analysed in 103 patients, and their median survival was 6 months. Local-stage disease had a projected 5-year survival of 62%. Median survival was 8 months in regional and 4 months in distant stage. The authors concluded that smoking was the major predisposing factor. They noted that, because the study was retrospective, the absence of many symptoms was not recorded.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: retrospective review of medical records (case series)
• Who was studied: 127 patients diagnosed with adenosquamous lung carcinoma between 1975 and 1988 at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, Miami, Florida; 92 men and 35 women; 90 white and 37 black
• Exposure: Smoking history and documented asbestos exposure were recorded among the clinical features. Asbestos exposure was documented in four patients; no fiber types, products, jobs or doses are given.
• Main results:
  • Of 108 patients with a smoking history, 92 were cigarette smokers, 3 smoked cigarettes and cigars, 2 smoked cigars, and 11 were nonsmokers
  • Asbestos exposure was documented in four patients, all of them men and all smokers
  • All patients had symptoms; in order of decreasing frequency these began with cough and weight loss
  • Stage could be determined in 120 (95%) patients; of these, 10% had local, 30% regional and 60% distant disease
  • In the 103 analytic patients, median survival was 6 months
  • Local stage had the best survival, with a projected 5-year survival of 62%
  • Median survival was 8 months in regional stage and 4 months in distant stage; there were no 5-year survivors in regional and distant stages
  • In regional and distant stages, survival did not differ significantly between patients whose first treatment was surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy
  • Private patients were about 40% of all patients but 75% of local-stage patients
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that smoking was the major predisposing factor. They found symptoms similar to those of other lung cancer types, and local-stage disease, though uncommon, was associated with good survival after surgery.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Because the study was retrospective, the absence of many symptoms was not documented in a large number of patients
  • Survival was calculated only for 'analytic' patients because follow-up data were incomplete for the others

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Carcinoma, Histological Subtype, Asbestos Exposure, Dyspnea, Hemoptysis, Median Survival.

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