Nationwide Comorbidity Evaluation in Lung Cancer Patients Across a 40-Year Period

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, although survival has improved over the last decades. Older age is often associated with more comorbidities, a trend likely applicable to lung cancer patients. The current study aims to evaluate comorbidities among lung cancer patients over a 40-year period. <bold>Methods:</bold> The study utilizes full, nationwide data from the Danish National Patient Register. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 1980 and 2018 are analyzed, and hospital-based diagnoses of comorbidities within three years prior to the lung cancer diagnosis are recorded. The patients are categorized into temporal cohorts spanning 1980-1993, 1994-2007, and 2008-2018. <bold>Results:</bold> In the period 1980-1993, the distribution of comorbidities was as follows: 0 - 77.2%, 1 - 13.2%, 2 - 5.0%, 3 or more - 4.5%. An upward trend is seen, and in the period 2008-2018, the distribution was 0 - 51.4%, 1 - 18.5%, 2 - 13.6%, 3 or more - 16.6%. The most prevalent comorbidities among lung cancer patients in 1980-1993 included chronic respiratory diseases (15.5%), cardiovascular disease (13.7%), and malignancies other than lung cancer (13.1%). While these remained the most prevalent comorbidities in 2008-2018, they affected a larger proportion of patients (30.8%, 36.6%, and 27.0%, respectively). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> The present study offers evidence that the lung cancer population is increasingly affected by comorbidities, necessitating management during diagnostic procedures, thoracic surgery, and oncologic treatment. Despite the seriousness of these comorbidities, there are effective treatments available to mitigate their influence when managed appropriately.