Lung cancer in women: is gynecological and obstetrical history important?

Abstract

Introduction. Lung cancer remains the most frequent cause of death related to cancers, reaching 1.8 mln worldwide. We observe globally that the incidence of lung cancer in the never smokers affects women disproportionately more often than men. Material and methods. The aim of the study was to analyse the data about women suffering from lung cancer, with particular emphasis on their gynecological and obstetrical history. Women with confirmed primary lung cancer were evaluated (n = 29). Information about smoking, gynecological and obstetrical history was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. Demographic data were also collected. Results. The most frequent lung cancer was adenocarcinoma (51.7%), followed by squamous-cell carcinoma (31.0%) and small-cell lung cancer (17.2%). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were present in 3 cases. The vast majority of women were smokers (89.7%) with median 30 pack years (IQR 20–48). Evaluating the TNM classification, the highest number of patients was classified to stage III (44.8%). The median age of menarche was 14 years, menopause — 50 years, the number of days with bleeding in the menstrual cycle — 4 and the length of the menstrual cycle — 28 days. An overwhelming majority of women have given birth to a child. Women reported extended menstrual cycles as the most frequent menstrual disorder (6 cases, 20.7%). Hormone replacement therapy and intrauterine contraceptive device use were declared in 10.3%. Conclusions. The results based on the small group of patients did not reveal any significant gynecological dysfunctions in our sample group with lung cancer.