Histopathological Types in Iraqi Patients with Lung Cancer: Which is the Most Common?

Abstract

Background: The frequency of lung cancer histopathological types has significantly changed over the last decades; adenocarcinoma has replaced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) as the most common histopathological type of lung cancer. The aim of this study is to assess the frequency of histopathological types among patients with lung cancer. Method: In total, 210 lung cancer patients (158 male and 52 female) were included in this study. Age, sex, histopathological type, smoking habits, and stage of disease were all recorded.  Results: The mean age of patients was 61.71±10.69 years; adenocarcinoma was the most common histopathological type of lung cancer (41.9%), followed by SCC (37.6%). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common type in men (40.5%). 92.3% of patients with small cell lung cancer and 91.1% of patients with SCC were cigarette smokers. At the time of diagnosis, most of the patients had advanced stages. Conclusion: Adenocarcinoma is the most common histopathological type of lung cancer in all patients, with SCC still the most common type in men. SCC and SCLC had the oldest mean age. Most patients presented with stages III and IV at diagnosis.

Key Words: Adenocarcinoma, Lung Cancer, Small cell lung cancer, Squamous cell carcinoma.