Lung Cancer Survival With Autoimmune Disease Save

Lung cancer risk is often increased with inflammation and autoimmune disease; a recent analysis suggests that patients with autoimmune disease do not have worse survival, even though they may have received less than the standard-of-care treatments.

A retrospective cohort study of 349 autoimmune patients who developed lung cancer were compared to lung cancer without autoimmune disease, Lung cancers included small cell, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, non–small cell not otherwise specified, and large cell carcinoma. Autoimmune diseases included rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, mixed connective tissue disease, myositis, and Sjögren syndrome.

Compared with patients in the control group, patients with autoimmune disease experienced no difference in overall survival (log-rank P = .69). A total of 126 patients (69.5%) with autoimmune disease received standard of care vs 213 patients (97.3%) in the control group (P < .001). No individual autoimmune disease was associated with worse prognosis, including those with interstitial lung disease.

Autoimmune disease patients with lung cancer fared as well as others with lung cancer, Unexpectedly, autoimmune patients were one-third less likely to receive standard-of-care treatment.

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