Lung cancer with bone metastases in the United States: an analysis from the Surveillance, Epidemiologic, and End Results database

The present study used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to identify demographic and prognostic characteristics of lung cancer with bone metastases in the United States from 2010 to 2014. 30,364 patients with metastatic lung cancer to bones were identified in the SEER database. Their information on the basic characteristics and the histological signatures of the cancer was extracted and analyzed. Joinpoint analysis was used to test the trends in annual percentage change (APC) of the incidence. 1-year survival rate among patients with metastatic lung cancer to bones was only 20.2%, and median survival time was about 3.0 months for those patients. Young age, female sex, race other than white and black, tumor in lobes, smaller tumor, adenocarcinoma, and surgery for primary site were associated with a significant survival benefit. APC of the incidence almost increased steadily on the whole and reached the level of statistical significance among the patients older than age 60. Although there are some signatures associated with better prognosis, the overall outcome remains very poor in patients with metastatic lung cancer to bones. In addition, the incidence of lung cancer with bone metastases is increasing in certain subgroups in the United States.