Search

Introduction: Residential radon is considered the second cause of lung cancer and the first in never smokers. Nevertheless, there is little information regarding the association between elevated radon levels and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We aimed to assess the effect of residential radon exposure on the risk of SCLC in general population through a multicentric case-control study., Methods: A multicentric hospital-based case-control study was designed including 9 hospitals from Spain and Portugal, mostly including radon-prone areas. Indoor radon was measured using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors at the Galician Radon Laboratory., Results: A total of 375 cases and 902 controls were included, with 24.5% of cases being women. The median number of years living in the measured dwelling was higher than 25 years for both cases and controls. There was a statistically significant association for those exposed to concentrations higher than the EPA action level of 148Bq/m 3 , with an Odds Ratio of 2.08 (95%CI: 1.03-4.39) compared to those exposed to concentrations lower than 50Bq/m 3 . When using a dose-response model with 100Bq/m 3 as a reference, it can be observed a linear effect for small cell lung cancer risk. Smokers exposed to higher radon concentrations pose a much higher risk of SCLC compared to smokers exposed to lower indoor radon concentrations., Conclusions: Radon exposure seems to increase the risk of small cell lung cancer with a linear dose-response pattern. Tobacco consumption may also produce an important effect modification for radon exposure., (Copyright © 2021 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: COPD is a multifactorial disease which causes considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies assessing the possible relationship between indoor radon exposure and COPD have shown inconclusive results., Methods: A multicentric, hospital-based, case-control study was conducted in a Spanish radon-prone area. COPD cases were confirmed by spirometry and controls were selected due to trivial surgery or procedures not related to tobacco consumption. All participants had to have lived for at least 15 years in the same dwelling. Radon measurements were conducted individually in dwellings using alpha-track detectors. Results were obtained using multivariate logistic regression., Results: 189 cases and 747 controls took part. There was no significant association between residential radon concentrations and COPD onset with a OR of 1.12 (95%CI 0.41-3.06) for individuals exposed to more than 200Bq/m 3 compared to those exposed to less than 50Bq/m 3 . Heavy smokers seem to increase their COPD risk if exposed to higher radon concentrations vs those exposed to lower concentrations. There was a statistically significant synergy index between radon exposure and tobacco consumption, S-index 11.60 (95%CI 3.71-36.26). Indoor radon concentration was higher in never/light smokers with COPD compared to controls., Conclusions: No association between indoor radon and COPD has been observed. However, there might be some effect modification on the COPD risk in heavy smokers when high radon exposure is present. This is supported by the additive synergy observed. Also, a possible association between indoor radon and COPD onset in never and light smokers needs to be further studied., (Copyright © 2020 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: COPD is a multifactorial disease which causes considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies assessing the possible relationship between indoor radon exposure and COPD have shown inconclusive results., Methods: A multicentric, hospital-based, case-control study was conducted in a Spanish radon-prone area. COPD cases were confirmed by spirometry and controls were selected due to trivial surgery or procedures not related to tobacco consumption. All participants had to have lived for at least 15 years in the same dwelling. Radon measurements were conducted individually in dwellings using alpha-track detectors. Results were obtained using multivariate logistic regression., Results: 189 cases and 747 controls took part. There was no significant association between residential radon concentrations and COPD onset with a OR of 1.12 (95%CI 0.41-3.06) for individuals exposed to more than 200Bq/m 3 compared to those exposed to less than 50Bq/m 3 . Heavy smokers seem to increase their COPD risk if exposed to higher radon concentrations vs those exposed to lower concentrations. There was a statistically significant synergy index between radon exposure and tobacco consumption, S-index 11.60 (95%CI 3.71-36.26). Indoor radon concentration was higher in never/light smokers with COPD compared to controls., Conclusions: No association between indoor radon and COPD has been observed. However, there might be some effect modification on the COPD risk in heavy smokers when high radon exposure is present. This is supported by the additive synergy observed. Also, a possible association between indoor radon and COPD onset in never and light smokers needs to be further studied., (Copyright © 2020 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive histologic type of lung cancer, and accounts for approximately 10%-15% of all cases. Few studies have analyzed the effect of residential radon. Our aim is to determine the risk factors of SCLC., Methods: We designed a multicenter, hospital-based case-control study with the participation of 11 hospitals in 4 autonomous communities., Results: Results of the first 113 cases have been analyzed, 63 of which included residential radon measurements. Median age at diagnosis was 63 years; 11% of cases were younger than 50 years of age; 22% were women; 57% had extended disease; and 95% were smokers or former smokers. Median residential radon concentration was 128Bq/m 3 . Concentrations higher than 400Bq/m 3 were found in 8% of cases. The only remarkable difference by gender was the percentage of never smokers, which was higher in women compared to men (P<.001). Radon concentration was higher in patients with stageIV disease (non-significant difference) and in individuals diagnosed at 63 years of age or older (P=.032)., Conclusions: A high percentage of SCLC cases are diagnosed early and there is a predominance of disseminated disease at diagnosis. Residential radon seems to play an important role on the onset of this disease, with some cases having very high indoor radon concentrations., (Copyright © 2017 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study is analysing the impact of the systematic versus occasional videoconferencing discussion of patients with two respiratory referral units along 6 years of time over the efficiency of the in-person outpatient clinics of a thoracic surgery service., Method: Retrospective and comparative study of the evaluated patients through videoconferencing and in-person first visits during two equivalents periods of time: Group A (occasional discussion of cases) between 2008-2010 and Group B (weekly regular discussion) 2011-2013. Data were obtained from two prospective and electronic data bases. The number of cases discussed using e-consultation, in-person outpatient clinics evaluation and finally operated on under general anaesthesia in each period of time are presented. For efficiency criteria, the index: number of operated on cases/number of first visit outpatient clinic patients is created. Non-parametric Wilcoxon test is used for comparison., Results: The mean number of patients evaluated at the outpatient clinics/year on group A was 563 versus 464 on group B. The median number of cases discussed using videoconferencing/year was 42 for group A versus 136 for group B. The mean number of operated cases/first visit at the outpatient clinics was 0.7 versus 0.87 in group B (P=.04)., Conclusions: The systematic regular discussion of cases using videoconferencing has a positive impact on the efficacy of the outpatient clinics of a Thoracic Surgery Service measured in terms of operated cases/first outpatient clinics visit., (Copyright © 2016 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The seventh edition of the TNM classification, together with undeniable advantages, has limitations. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Staging Committee has designed an international prospective study to improve this classification. A group of thoracic surgeons and pulmonologists was established in the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) Oncology area, and created a registry of new lung cancer (LC) cases to participate in this project. The aim of this paper is to describe the main characteristics of the patients included., Materials and Methods: Prospective, observational, multicentre, multiregional data collection (epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and, especially, anatomical extension) study, according to the IASLC protocol, to analyse its prognostic value., Results: Two thousand, four hundred and nineteen patients (83.6% men) from 28 hospitals were included. Ninety-six percent of the men and 54% of the women were smokers or ex-smokers. Chest/abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning was performed in over 90% and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scanning in 51.5% of cases. Among the 1035 patients who underwent surgery, 77% had early stages (ia to iib), and 61.6% of those treated using other methods had stage iv. Respiratory comorbidity was higher in men (47.9% versus 21.4%). The most common histological subtype was adenocarcinoma (34%), especially in non-smoking women (69.5%)., Conclusions: The proportion of women and adenocarcinomas, as well as those resected at an early stage, increased among LC cases in Spain., (Copyright © 2013 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Mortality due to lung cancer in Spain is increasing continuously. The aim of the present study was to collect information on the hospital incidence of lung cancer, as well as information on clinical management, in different regions of Spain., Material and Methods: A prospective observational study of patients diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003 was carried out in 13 centers in 9 autonomous communities. Epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic variables were assessed., Results: Of a total population of 2,726,601 inhabitants (1 346 483 men and 1 380 118 women), 1064 male and 125 female lung cancer patients were included. The incidence standardized to the world population varied between 42.4/100,000 and 61.8/100,000 in men and between 1.5/100,000 and 8.6/100,000 in women. Overall, 51% were aged over 70 years, and 97.5% of the men and 32% of the women were smokers or ex-smokers. Cytologic or histologic confirmation was obtained for 93.1% of the cases (20.8% of which were small cell lung cancers and 79.2% were non-small cell lung cancers). The main initial symptoms were cough, chest pain, and weight loss. In 13.7%, lung cancer was suspected because of abnormal chest x-ray. The percentage with clinical TNM stages I and II ranged from 6.3% to 26.9%. The most common stage was stage IV in all centers. The percentage of patients undergoing surgery ranged from 2.5% to 20.6%, with a mean of 14.8% (19.9% of whom were patients with non-small cell lung cancer); 27% received palliative treatment only., Conclusions: The proportion of women suffering from lung cancer increased with respect to previous studies, with notable differences among regions. Despite diagnostic improvements, the percentage of patients undergoing surgery is low, though interregional variation is considerable.