Abstract
The incidence of adenocarcinoma is increasing, particularly among females. We sought to assess the role of tobacco consumption in clinical presentation according to gender.
In this retrospective study, 848 patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2006 in Grenoble University Hospital, France, were stratified into four groups according to smoking habit.
Differences between genders, and two contrasting female profiles emerged. Female current smokers were younger than never-smokers (median 51 vs 69 years, p<10−3), more often had surgery (62.7% vs 39%, p=0.01), and had a median estimated survival of 26.2 CI95%[18.1–49.2] vs 15.1 months CI95%[12.8–22.2], p=0.002. Both groups had similar survival when taking treatment into account. Among men, smoking did not influence presentation. Male current smokers were older than female current smokers (median 59 years, p<10−3), fewer had surgery (48.8%, p=0.015), although the percentage of stage IIIb-IV was similar (53% and 46%, pNS), and they had poorer estimated survival of 14.3 months CI95%[13.0–18.5] (p=0.0024). Males smoked more than females (median packs/year: 41 vs. 30, p<10−3). Quitting smoking delayed age at diagnosis by 11 years for females (p=0.0035) and 8 years for males (p<10−3).
Our results support the hypothesis that carcinogenesis differs between males and females, and between women smokers and never-smokers.
- ERS