ANNALS OF CLINICAL AND ANALYTICAL MEDICINE, vol.13, no.10, pp.1137-1142, 2022 (ESCI)
Aim: Tumor cavitation is seen most frequently in the lung squamous cell cancer subtype (SCC). We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of tumor cavitation at the time of diagnosis and survival in patients with lung SCC.Material and Methods: Stage I-IV lung SCC patients aged >18 years between 2016-2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of tumor cavitation in the patients and its effect on clinical and prognosis were evaluated. The effects of inflammatory indexes on prognosis were investigated. Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) times were examined.Results: Thirty-eight patients with tumor cavitation and 66 without tumor cavitation were examined. The frequency of tumor cavitation in lung SCC was 16.8%. Most of the patients with tumor cavitation consisted of men with large tumor diameter, heavy smokers, and advanced stage. The monocyte-lymphocyte ratio and lactate dehydrogenase levels were lower in those with tumor cavitation (p=0.002, p=0.010). Tumor cavitation significantly reduced OS in Stage III lung SCC (17.83 vs 40.53 months, p=0.016). However, the presence of tumor cavitation did not affect PFS or OS in the whole population (p=0.759, p=0.256). High neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and advanced stage were independent factors affecting OS (p=0.048, p=0.009).Discussion: Tumor cavitation is a clinical entity that differs in its biology and clinical course. It is a poor prognostic factor in Stage III lung SCC patients.