Analysis of Imaging, Pathology and Demographic Data of Lung Cancer Patients Diagnosed in a Tertiary Medical Center in the South-West Region of Romania.

Abstract

Introduction: Lung cancer is the most common type of primary tumor in both males and females, accounting for significant mortality worldwide. Clear evidence regarding comorbidities and aggravating factors exist, with multiple pathways being cited in recent literature.

Patients and methods: Our aim was to review relevant sources and demonstrate through an original statistical study that tumor type, location, comorbidities, as well as demographic factors, may play a limited role in the evolution of lung adenocarcinoma. After obtaining ethical clearance, we enrolled consenting lung cancer patients in an observational cross-sectional study, collecting relevant demographic and medical information. Patients were recruited from a single tertiary medical center in Craiova, Romania, between January 2021 and January 2025. We used the Anova and the chi-square tests, considering p values below 0.05 as statistically significant.

Results: We enrolled 189 patients (143 males, 75.6% of the entire lot), from urban and rural settings (49.7% from urban areas). The mean age was 64.94±10.47 years, with minimal variance when accounting for gender or provenance (Anova test, p>0.05). Most tumors were located in the upper portions of the lungs, with 111 cases, 53.44%. We found that 55.24% of males had tumors of the right lung, while only 39.13% of females had this location. Men had higher COPD rates (79 cases, 55.24%) and only two females (4.34%), p<0.05. However, we found statistically significant more women smokers than men (82.6% women vs. 41.25% of men).

Conclusion: We hereby demonstrated that lung cancer remains a significant medical burden for the medical system, with prevalence in both sexes, irrespective of provenance. Most cases were diagnosed between 40 and 65 years, smoking and toxic exposure being predominant.