A three-year review of lung cancer patient characteristics in a tertiary hospital.

OBJECTIVE

The study sought to determine clinical characteristics and histologic subtypes of a cohort of lung cancer patients in a tertiary facility.

DESIGN

Retrospective review of the medical records of histology-confirmed lung cancer cases at the respiratory clinic over a 3-year period.

SETTING

Respiratory Clinic, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

PARTICIPANTS

All adult patients with histologically diagnosed lung cancer were enrolled.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Lung cancer histological types.

RESULTS

The proportion of lung cancer cases was 12.4%. The majority were women (57.8%) and the mean age at diagnosis was 55.8±16.0 years. The patients were predominantly non-smokers (61%). Common symptoms were chronic cough and chest pain. More than two-thirds of the cases presented in clinical stages III and IV with the predominant histological subtype being adenocarcinoma in smokers and non-smokers. Genetic testing for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Anaplastic Lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations were largely absent.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of lung cancer patients presented late with advanced disease. Adenocarcinoma was the predominant histological subtype in a predominantly non-smoking population, with an increased prevalence among women less than 60 years. This should encourage testing for genetic mutations to improve patient survival.

FUNDING: None declared.