Women diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) live longer than their male counterparts, according to results of a SWOG study presented today by Kathy Albain, MD, the Huizenga Family Endowed Chair in Oncology Research at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC's) 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Albain led the international study, S0424, for SWOG, the cancer clinical trials group that is part of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), the nation's oldest and largest publicly funded cancer research network. Albain and her SWOG team studied 981 patients newly diagnosed with stage I, II, or III NSCLC and grouped them into four cohorts based on sex and smoking history. Then, they analyzed data on cancer stage, patients' tumor type and mutations, hormonal influences, treatment plans, and survival rates. Patients were followed for five years, or until their deaths, in order to determine overall survival, or how long they lived after enrolling on the trial.
S0424 is the first prospective trial of this scope for NSCLC, designed specifically to follow survival outcomes. It was a collaborative trial within NCTN, and included researchers from Canada and Japan.
Regardless of smoking history or any other factor, women in S0424 had significantly better overall survival (OS) rates compared to men. The analysis found that female never-smokers (FNS) and female ever-smokers (FES) had significantly better OS compared to male never-smokers (MNS) and male ever-smokers (MES). Five-year estimates reported overall survival at 73 percent for FNS, 69 percent for FES, 58 percent for MNS and 52 percent for MES.
"Women with NSCLC live longer, even when we control for every factor that might influence survival in NSCLC, including tobacco and other exposures, lifestyle factors, disease stage, treatment, tumor biology and hormonal factors," Albain said. "Additional study is needed to further investigate favorable survival for women in this population, and our large clinical trials need to be equally balanced for women."
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Other members of the SWOG study team include: Amy Darke, MS, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Philip Mack, PhD, of University of California Davis; Mary Redman, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; David Cheng, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; James Moon, MS, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; William Holland, MS, of University of California Davis; Alain Borczuk, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine; Christopher Chay, MD, of Cancer Care of Western North Carolina; Paul T. Morris, MD, of University of Hawaii; Eric Vallieres, MD, of Swedish Medical Center; Robert Kratzke, MD, of University of Minnesota; Julian Molina, MD, of Mayo Clinic; Jill Kolesar, PharmD, of University of Wisconsin; Yuhchyau Chen, MD, PhD, of University of Rochester Medical Center; Robert MacRae, of Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre; Seiji Matsumoto, MD, PhD, of Hyogo College of Medicine; Michael Reid, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Gary Zirpoli, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital; Warren Davis, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Rochelle Payne Ondracek, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Wiam Bshara, MD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Angela Omilian, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; David Gandara, MD, of University of California Davis; Karen Kelly, MD, of University of California Davis; Regina Santella, PhD, of Columbia University; and Christine Ambrosone, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The National Institutes of Health funded the study through National Cancer Institute grant awards R01CA106815, U10CA180888, U10CA180819, and UG1CA189974.
About the WCLC
The World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) is the world's largest meeting dedicated solely to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting over 7,000 researchers, physicians and specialists from more than 100 countries. The conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil research studies and clinical trial results. For more information, visit http://wclc2018.iaslc.org/. Follow the conference on social media with: #WCLC2018.
About the IASLC
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 7,500 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in over 100 countries, forming a global network working together to conquer lung and thoracic cancers worldwide. The association also publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all thoracic malignancies. Visit http://www.iaslc.org for more information. You can also follow the IASLC on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About SWOG
SWOG is a member of the National Cancer Institute's National Clinical Trials Network and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program, making it part of the oldest and largest publicly funded cancer research network in the United States. SWOG has over 12,000 members in 47 states and six countries who design and conduct cancer prevention and treatment trials. SWOG trials have led to the approval of 14 cancer drugs, changed more than 100 standards of cancer care, and saved more than 3 million years of human life. Learn more at swog.org