Clinical and Therapeutic Characteristics of Hospitalized Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer in Najran, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study

Background: Lung cancer is one of the top causes of cancer deaths globally, including in Saudi Arabia. Although several prognostic markers have been established, the clinical features and outcomes of lung cancer in Saudi Arabia are not well understood. This study aimed to describe the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of advanced lung cancer in Najran, Saudi Arabia.

Method: A retrospective chart review of 44 patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer between June 2018 and September 2021 and treated at the Oncology Center of King Khalid Hospital in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. The clinicopathological features, treatment used, response, and survival outcomes were collected and analyzed.

Result: The mean age was 69.3 ± 10.7 years, most of them (n = 35, 79.5%) were male and older than 70 years (n = 24, 54.5%). Adenocarcinoma was the most observed cancer (n = 35, 79.5%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma in six (13.6%). Most cases (n = 42, 95.5%) were in stage IV. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were positive in two (4.5%) cases and ALK mutation was positive in two (4.5%) cases. Metastasis to pleura with pleural effusion was the common presentation (n = 41, 93%). Chemotherapy was administered as the first line in 19 cases (43.2%) while 25 cases (56.8%) received chemoimmunotherapy. The commonest chemoimmunotherapy regimen used was carboplatin-pemetrexed-pembrolizumab in 16 (36.4%), followed by carboplatin-paclitaxel-pembrolizumab in 9 (20.5%) cases. The response to initial systemic therapy was as follows disease progression, stable disease, and complete remission in 10 (22.7%), 33 (75.0%), and 1 (2.3%), respectively. Median progression-free survival was 8.7 months (interquartile range (IQR): 5.7-11.4), and the median overall survival was 12.3 months (IQR: 11.1-13.4). Among the total documented 36 (81.8%) dead cases, disease progression was the main cause of death in 25 cases (56.8%). Using chemoimmunotherapy as the first-line therapy was associated with numerical survival improvement compared to using chemotherapy alone (HR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.39-1.46) however, it was not statistically significant (p = 0.397).

Conclusion: In this study, the majority of lung cancer patients were male and over 70 years old. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histological type. Metastasis to pleura with pleural effusion was the common presentation. The most common treatment used was chemoimmunotherapy with a regimen of carboplatin-pemetrexed-pembrolizumab. Addressing the possible causes of delayed diagnosis of lung cancer is crucial for improved survival outcomes.