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Methods

The aim of the study is to compare the three-year survival rates of lung cancer patients with pre-existing COPD with those of patients with lung cancer only. Data from Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) was identified for lung cancer patients as well as for COPD patients.

Lung Cancer PatientsDiagnosed in Liverpool PCT between 2004–2006

Results

Three-year data obtained from Liverpool PCT showed 434 new cases of lung cancer and 48 (11%) of these new cases are known COPD patients. Inference from the analysed data is contrary to previous knowledge that co-morbidities reduced survival rates of lung cancer patients.

Lung cancer patients with COPD showed better survival than lung cancer patients without. This difference is more evident after controlling for age. Lung cancer patients (aged 65 or less) with COPD were seen to have survived more (Pr>chi2 = 0.0223) than their non-COPD counterparts of the same age category.

Discussion

This study showed that in Liverpool, lung cancer patients with COPD were seen to have survived more than those without previous COPD. There are two possible explanations for this.Firstly, that patients with previous COPD have already overcome the ‘GP-access barrier’, since they frequently need to visit their GPs for the monitoring and reviewing of their health. Secondly, one of the ways of managing COPD is through the use of corticosteroids in either tablet or inhalational form (NHS Direct, 2008) and studies have shown that there is a link between inhalational corticosteroids and lung cancer chemoprevention (Koshiol et al., 2009, Miller and Keith, 2007, Parimon et al., 2007, Petty, 2005).

Conclusion

This study was able to show a difference in the survival rates of the two lung cancer groups researched (those with and without COPD); patients with COPD surviving longer than those without. This difference becomes more significant in patients aged less than 65 years.

Is COPD a blessing in disguisefor lung cancer patients?Olufemi Olajide, Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust; Ivan Gee, Liverpool John Moores University;Stephen Callaghan and David Conrad, both Public Health Department, Liverpool Primary Care Trust.

Although lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world, with an estimated1.61 million new cases diagnosed in 2008 (CRUK, 2010), little is known aboutthe effect long-term lung disease has on lung cancer survival rates.

Lung Cancer Patients (ICD-10 C33–34)number = 434

PreviousCOPD diagnosis(ICD-10 J40–44)

number = 48

No previousCOPD diagnosis number = 386

Analysed Analysed

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