[Relationship between clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients regarding their occupational exposure].

Objective: To study the relationship between clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients and their occupational exposure.

Methods: 2110 workers (≥ 20 years) who had been engaged in occupation that were exposed to risk factors of lung cancer, were asked to fill in questionnaires which included social demographic characteristics, length of service, smoking history and habits etc. 378 cases with lung cancer admitted in the Tangshan Worker's Hospital were selected and their clinical data including general information, symptoms or signs other than lungs, CT findings, histological type of the tumor, metastasis of tumors etc. were compared between the occupational exposure group and the control group.

Results: The rate of lung cancer was 29.43% (621/2110) among the workers with occupational exposure, and in men it was higher than in women (P > 0.05). There were significant differences seen in the rates of lung cancer with different age, smoking history/habits and years of employment among workers having had the histories of occupational exposure (P < 0.01). With CT findings, the rate of obstructive emphysema in the occupational exposure group (36.91%) was higher than in the control group (18.78%), (P < 0.01). Pathologically, squamous cell carcinoma (36.24%) appeared to be higher than it did in the control group (28.38%). The rate of pleural metastasis in the occupational exposure group was 14.09%, while it was 7.42% (P < 0.05) in the control group.

Conclusion: People, having had occupational exposure, showed an association between the rate of lung cancer and factors as: excessive smoking, advanced age and long histories of occupational exposure. Squamous cell carcinoma with obstructive emphysema and pleural metastasis appeared to be dominantly seen.