Diverging trends in lung cancer: a 26-year analysis of sex-specific patterns and histological shifts in Northern Italy.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Population-based cancer registry observational time-trend study
PubMed 39932541 · doi:10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000951
What was done
Researchers analyzed lung cancer incidence data from the Friuli Venezia Giulia population-based Cancer Registry in northeastern Italy across 1995–2021 (categorized into 1995–2003, 2004–2012, and 2013–2021). Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were calculated from census estimates, and joinpoint regression was used to calculate the annual percent change and average annual percent change (AAPC) by sex and histological subtype.
What was found
A total of 24,519 lung cancer cases were recorded (70% in males). During 2013–2021, ASIRs were 31.9/100,000 in males and 16.9/100,000 in females. Adenocarcinoma had the highest ASIR in both sexes (15.2/100,000 males; 9.9/100,000 females). Across the 1995–2021 period, overall lung cancer incidence declined in males (AAPC: -3.2%) but rose in females (AAPC: +1.0%). Adenocarcinoma trends were inconsistent in males but consistently rose in females, while squamous and small cell lung cancer rates decreased in males and increased in females.
Why it matters
The study shows a diverging sex-specific trajectory in lung cancer burden in Northern Italy, emphasizing the need for focused smoking cessation and prevention programs aimed at middle-aged females.
Limits
The abstract provides aggregated registry data without individual-level smoking history, occupational exposures, or staging information. Findings represent a single region of Italy and may not fully generalize to populations with different smoking dynamics.
Cited by
- contradicts Small cell, large cell, and squamous cell carcinomas are the predominant types of lung cancer that occur in tobacco smokers.