2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) - Posters-P2.05A.03 Regional Disparities in Distant Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients and Overall Survival in Norway. A Nationwide Population Study

P2.05A.03 Regional Disparities in Distant Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients and Overall Survival in Norway. A Nationwide Population Study

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This study investigates regional disparities in the survival rates of distant metastatic lung cancer patients in Norway, specifically focusing on those diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC) between 2018 and 2022. The data was sourced from the Cancer Registry of Norway, and the analysis included 16,953 patients.<br /><br />The study has a particular focus on two health trusts: Vestfold and Førde. These regions were identified as having a high incidence of advanced-stage lung cancer. The analysis revealed that patients in these areas often experienced delayed access to specialized healthcare despite showing severe symptoms compared to patients elsewhere in Norway. The reasons for these regional disparities were multifaceted, involving not just the stage of cancer at diagnosis but also factors such as comorbidity and functional status.<br /><br />The findings highlighted that while the demographic characteristics like age and lung cancer type in Førde and Vestfold align with the national averages, there were significant differences in health and functional status. Notably, patients in Vestfold exhibited poorer health. Moreover, a higher proportion of severe symptom-based diagnoses and fewer incidental early-stage detections were reported in these regions.<br /><br />During the period studied, Norway's overall survival rate for lung cancer was 28%, showcasing regional variations from 23.6% to 35.9%. Førde had a somewhat higher survival rate of 32%, while Vestfold had a lower rate of 27%. The study underscores the importance of identifying and addressing factors contributing to these regional survival disparities, despite both areas having smoking and lung cancer incidence rates equivalent to the national average.

Asset Subtitle

Janna Berg

Meta Tag

Speaker Janna Berg

Topic Pulmonology & Staging

Keywords

regional disparities

lung cancer

Norway

NSCLC

SCLC

Cancer Registry

survival rates

Vestfold

Førde

healthcare access