Connective tissue diseases (CTD) might be associated with various malignancies, and one of the most frequent is lung cancer (LC). Despite our understanding of pathogenesis, this association remains still unclear. The aim of the present study is to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with CTD who developed LC.
Of 375 successive patients with CTD followed up to University Hospital between 1995 and 2004, 24 patients were diagnosed with LC: 11 (46%) had systemic sclerosis (SSc), 6 (25%) rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 6 (25%) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 1 (4%) dermatomyositis. We analyzed LC stage, radiological presentation, histological type, patients' smoking status, method of diagnosis, treatment applied, and disease outcome.
Average duration of CTD was 13.95 (range 0-30) years. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was significantly more frequent than small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Among patients with NSCLC, 21 patients (85%) presented with stage III or IV. With regard to treatment, 13% patients underwent surgery, 25% chemotherapy, 4% patients combined chemo- and radiotherapy and 58% patients had only supportive therapy. The median survival was 5 months (range 1-96 months).
The majority of CTD patients who developed LC were diagnosed at advanced stage and had poor survival. Efforts for early detection of LC in CTD patients' group are warranted.