Histology-related variation in the treatment and survival of patients with lung carcinoma in Canada.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine histologic differences in lung cancer treatment and survival, and to define recent survival trends in Ottawa, Canada.

Methods: From 1994 to 2000, 3,237 patients with invasive lung cancer were registered at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre (ORCC) and were followed up to 31 December 2001. Five-year relative survival rates (RSRs) and relative excess risks (RERs) of dying were calculated by stage and dominant initial treatment modalities for major cellular histologies using a relative survival model.