Abstract 149P
Background
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both males and females. The demographic landscape has shifted dramatically in recent decades. The increasing interest in personalized medicine and the recognition of sex as a major influencing factor in disease behavior, has resulted in a greater emphasis on understanding gender differences. This study aims to analyze the different aspects of gender in lung cancer care in Europe and Asia.
Methods
This study was conducted using a web-based physician questionnaire. In Q1 2022, IQVIA engaged 2583 investigators from Europe and Asia. Gender, age, clinical stage, oncogenic driver status, location of metastases, ECOG, and comorbidities were analyzed.
Results
A total of 18 217 cases were analyzed; 7006 (38.5%) were females (F) and 11 211 (61.5%) males (M). The prevalence of NSCLC in females was slightly higher in Asia (40%) compared to Europe (38.5%). Females were younger and had more adenocarcinoma cases than males on both continents. The percentage of non-smokers was substantially higher in Asian females (87%) compared to males (20%) and the European population (F: 40%, M: 15%). Asia had more asymptomatic (ECOG 0) patients than Europe, possibly because most Asian patients had fewer pulmonary comorbidities. Most patients had metastatic disease at diagnosis. However, in Asia there was a higher proportion of localized disease (34.4%) compared to Europe (19.1%) regardless the sex; and early-stage disease was more frequent in males than in females in both regions. The frequency of brain metastases in Asian females was significantly higher (20%) than in Asian males (14%) and the European population (F: 16%, M: 10%). EGFR mutation was the most common oncogenic driver in both genders, but its prevalence was higher in Asian females. We found that the deletion in exon 19 was the most prevalent across both continents and genders. However, we also report a high occurrence of L858R mutation among Asian subjects (F: 38.9%, M: 41.8%).
Conclusions
This research highlights the differences in cancer staging between Asian and European patients and the importance of gender-based differences suggesting that lung cancer may be increasingly considered a distinct disease in females.
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.