Radiological and clinicopathological findings in large case series study of lung cancer in Erbil City/Iraq

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is the most common fatal malignant neoplasm worldwide, especially in developing countries. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between radiological and clinicopathological findings of the LC. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 446 patients in Erbil city/Iraq from January of 2014 to December of 2016. Results: The mean (± standard deviation) age at diagnosis was 65.21 (±10.9) for males versus 62.1 (±9.98) years for females. Most cases of squamous cell carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma were current or ex-smokers, whereas adenocarcinoma was common in passive and never smokers. The right lung was affected more than the left lung (P < 0.05). The most common histological subtypes in the right upper lobe were adenocarcinoma and small-cell carcinoma, whereas the left upper lobe was affected mostly by squamous cell carcinoma (P < 0.001). Adenocarcinoma commonly presented with peripheral mass, whereas hilar ± central mass was common in small-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Cavitation was seen mainly in squamous cell carcinoma (P < 0.001). Conclusions: LC is a disease of old age presenting at late stage. Smoking remains the major cause of LC. Despite increasing the frequency of adenocarcinoma still it is not more common than squamous cell carcinoma as seen in developed countries. Adenocarcinoma is predominant in never and passive smokers. The right lung is affected more than the left lung. Adenocarcinoma and small-cell carcinoma affect the right upper lobe, whereas squamous cell carcinoma affects the left upper lobe. Further studies are necessary to confirm or refute the side and lobe preference by LC