Lung cancer in the Canton of St. Gallen, Eastern Switzerland: sex-associated differences in smoking habits, disease presentation and survival.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess sex-associated differences in lung cancer patients in Eastern Switzerland.

Methods: All 670 lung cancer patients referred to the cancer center in St. Gallen between January 2000 and December 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. We investigated sex-associated differences in age, smoking habits, histology, stage, treatment and survival.

Results: There were 474 (71%) men and 196 (29%) women with lung cancer. Mean age at the time of diagnosis was 64 years for women and 67 years for men (p = 0.01). Of the patients <55 years of age, 47 (24%) were women and only 65 (14%) were men. Men smoked significantly more than women (median pack-years: 50 vs. 30; p < 0.001). Of the heavy smokers (>40 pack-years), 278 (56%) were men and 68 (33%) were women. More men had squamous cell carcinoma (36%) than women (17%). Conversely, more women presented with adenocarcinoma (48%) than men (27%). No significant sex-associated differences were observed when analyzing first treatments received. Median overall survival was 10 months for both sexes.

Conclusions: In Eastern Switzerland, women with lung cancer were younger, more likely to have smoked significantly less and more likely to have adenocarcinoma, compared to men with lung cancer. These findings are consistent with those found in other western populations.