Current status of lung cancer in Spain: a retrospective analysis of patient characteristics, use of healthcare resources and in-hospital mortality

Objective: This study aimed to describe the current status of lung cancer in Spain, including patient characteristics and in-hospital mortality, and to revise disease management and the direct medical costs of secondary care. Methods: A retrospective observational study was set to analyse anonymized primary and secondary care records of patients admitted with lung cancer in Spain between 2011 and 2016. Data were obtained from the Primary Care Dataset and the Centralised Hospital Discharge Database. Results: Admissions files from 12,119 primary care and 113,574 secondary care patients were analyzed. Only 21% of all patients were females, yet the number of female patients presented an increasing trend over the study period. Non-small-cell lung carcinoma represented 85.29% of all lung malignant neoplasms; metastatic or secondary malignant neoplasms were diagnosed in 76.66% of admissions. Other relevant comorbid conditions registered at the hospital level were hypertension, disorders of lipoid metabolism, diabetes mellitus and a history of tobacco use. In-hospital mortality was 22% over the study period and was associated with respiratory failure. Mean hospitalization time was 9.57 days and most admissions were due to emergencies. The mean cost of secondary care per patient was euro8475, increasing significantly over the study period. Cost per patient was higher in those diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusions: Preventive and early detection measures are recommended, continuing to focus on females. In parallel, a multidisciplinary approach could optimize patient journey considering the presence of disease comorbidities, although its role in lung cancer mortality should be further explored.