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• Lung cancer: Three times better chances of survival than 20 years ago, according to the latest figures published in the June issue of the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) 

Although lung cancer is increasingly widespread, particularly owing to the increased use of tobacco in the world, the chances of successfully crossing the decisive five-year survival threshold have improved considerably in the last 20 years.

This at any rate is the conclusion reached by the Finnish team of Dr. Riitta Mäkitaro, from the University Hospital of Oulu, in the light of the findings of a prospective study, which have been compared to those of a similar study conducted 20 years ago. . .

"small cell" carcinoma, a histological group that also accounts for about a fifth of all lung cancers, is still as aggressive as ever and its two-year survival rates have hardly improved, at 19% compared with 14% 20 years ago. . .

To sum up, although the spread of lung cancer has kept pace with that of tobacco smoking in the world, the related survival rate has tripled in 20 years. Nevertheless, only one in eight patients can hope to live for five years after the cancer has been diagnosed, with a chance after that of surviving for much longer still !

The Finnish authors of the article published in the June issue of the ERJ suggest that the progress observed is due mainly to the improvement in diagnostic and surgical techniques. Early diagnosis (well before metastases occur) and the surgical ablation of the tumor are factors which appear to offer better chances of survival. Some histological types of the observed lung cancer are also included among favorable factors, such as adenocarcinoma, for which the 5-year survival rate has risen from 4% 20 years ago to 19% at present.

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