Secular Trends in Histologic Types of Lung Cancer 1,2

ABSTRACT-The histology pattern of lung cancer in Los Angeles County was reviewed for a 10-year period, 1972-81. In men, the total lung cancer incidence has been fairly constant, but there has been a shift in the histology pattern with an increase in adenocar-cinoma and a decrease in "other " cell type (Le., carcinoma not otherwise specified, large-cell and undifferentiated tumors). This changing histology pattern may be partly due to changes in diag-nostic standards and practices. With the assumption that these changes are comparable in men and women, the "true " annual rate of change was estimated for each lung cancer cell type in women. All lung cancer types have increased in women; of the cell types squamous cell carcinoma, small-cell carcinoma, and adenocarci-noma, small-cell carcinoma showed the largest rate of annual increase and adenocarcinoma, the smallest.-JNCI 1986; 77: 53-56