Aim: To establish an updated clinical profile of adenocarcinoma of the lung.
Design: Retrospective review of clinical charts, chest radiography, and computed tomography of consecutive patients who attended Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong between June 1995 and December 1997.
Results: In the 115 patients studied, 13% were <40 years of age (33.3% ever smokers). Haemoptysis is more common among patients with early disease, while finger clubbing was detected more commonly among smokers and ex-smokers. Most (98.3%) patients had abnormal chest radiology including presence of mass lesion, pleural effusion, collapse/consolidation, and effusion. Patients with adenocarcinoma were significantly more likely to be younger, female, in advanced disease (stage IIIB and IV), non-smoker, and symptomatic on presentation (p<0.05) than those with squamous cell lung cancer (n=128).
Conclusion: The clinical profile of Chinese adenocarcinoma patients should help clinicians in the diagnosis and management of these patients.