Real world data of combined lung cancer and interstitial lung disease

Background: Research patients with combined lung cancer (LC) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) is insufficient. The objective of the study was to identify the frequency of such patients and treatments, including best supportive care (BSC), in the real world. Methods: All patients with LC who were admitted to our hospital over a 5-year period from 2013 to 2017 were retrospectively analysed. Results: In this study, 698 patients with LC were enrolled. A total of 148 (21.2%) suffered from LC and ILD. Seventy-one LC-ILD patients received chemotherapy, and 20 LC-ILD patients received BSC only. Eleven BSC patients whom physicians thought could receive therapy declined treatment. The median survival time of patients who received chemotherapy was 14.3 months (95% confidence interval, 8.5-19.4 months). The median survival time of BSC patients who declined treatment was 7.2 months and that was shorter than that of patients who received chemotherapy. Conclusions: This study suggests that patients with combined LC and ILD are common (21.2%) in the real world, and there is the possibility that therapy for LC-ILD patients is beneficial.