Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer is characterized by its high incidence and case fatality rate. Factors related to population composition and cancer prevention programme policy have an effect on the incidence and diagnosis of lung cancer. This study aims to provide scientific support for early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer by investigating the clinic information, pathological, and imaging characteristics of surgical patients with lung cancer. METHODS: The data of 2 058 patients, who underwent surgery for lung cancer in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from 2016 to 2019, were retrospectively collected to analyze changes in clinic information, pathological, and imaging characteristics. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2019, the number of patients per year was 280, 376, 524, and 878, respectively. Adenocarcinoma (68.1%) was the most common pathological type of surgical patients with lung cancer. From 2016 to 2019, the proportion of adenocarcinoma was increased from 55.5% to 74.1%. The proportion lung cancer patients in stage IA was increased from 38.9% to 62.3%, and the proportion of patients who underwent sublobar resection was increased from 1.8% to 8.6%. The proportion of lymph node sampling was increased in 2019. Compared with the rate in 2016, the detection rate of nodules with diameter≤1 cm detected by CT before surgery in 2019 was significantly improved (2.0% vs 18.2%), and the detection rate of nodules with diameter>3 cm was decreased (34.7% vs 18.3%). From 2016 to 2019, the proportion of lesions with pure ground-glass density and partial solid density detected by CT was increased from 2.0% and 16.6% to 20.0% and 37.3%, respectively. The proportion of solid density was decreased from 81.4% to 42.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The number of lung cancer surgery patients is rapidly increasing year by year, the proportion of CT-detected purely ground-glass density and partially solid density lesions are increasing, the proportion of patients with adenocarcinoma is rising, the proportion of early-stage lung cancer is increasing, smaller lung cancers are detected in earlier clinical stage leading to a more minimally invasive approach to the surgical methods.