Survival of Patients with Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated at Tertiary Hospitals in the East of Thailand, 2007-2016: A Retrospective Study

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the survival of patients with small-cell lung cancer treated at tertiary hospitals in the East of Thailand. Materials and methods: The researchers conducted this retrospective study by reviewing medical records of patients with small-cell lung cancer treated at Chonburi Cancer Hospital and Prapokklao Hospital from January 2007 to December 2016 and monitored via follow-up until December 2018. Results: This study enrolled 54 patients with a median follow-up time of 8.5 months. The median age of patients was 63 years old. Most patients were male (83.3%) and had a history of smoking (90.7%), and 31.4% had clinical superior vena cava obstruction at initial treatment. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1 was noted for 61.1% of the study population. Median survival time of patients with limited-stage and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who received systemic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy was 17.01 months (95% CI, 12.01 - 22.01) and 8.14 months (95% CI, 7.19 - 9.10), respectively, and that of patients receiving supportive care was 2.3 months (95% CI, 0.75 - 4.03). However, the median survival time of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer receiving only palliative chemotherapy was 5.9 months (95% CI, 0.32 - 17.51). Conclusions: The median survival time of patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer treated in the East of Thailand was comparable to those of landmark studies; however, the survival of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer was shorter than those of Phase III trials. A multidisciplinary team was necessary to improve the quality of patient care.