Incidence and Outcomes of Malignant Pediatric Lung Neoplasms

Background: We sought to define current incidence trends and outcomes for children with lung and bronchus tumors. Methods: The SEER registry was queried from 1973 to 2004 for all patients with pulmonary tumors less than 20 y of age. Results: Overall, 160 patients were identified. The age-adjusted incidence has remained stable at 0.049 per 100,000 persons. The median age at diagnosis was 16 y. Whites had the highest age-adjusted population incidence at 0.056 per 100,000. Most tumors arose in the lower lobe (37%), followed by the upper lobe (31.2%). The most common histology was endocrine tumor (51.6%), followed by sarcoma (11%), and mucoepidermoid tumor (9%). Overall survival was greater than 381 mo with a 15-y survival of 65%. Males had better survival (>381 versus 288 months). Endocrine and mucoepidermoid tumors had the best survival. Small cell carcinoma had the worst median survival at less than 5 mo. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma both had a 14-mo median survival. Median survival for nonsurgically treated patients was 14 mo with a 10-y survival rate of 32%. Surgery improved the 10-y survival to 75% (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated nonsurgical treatment and nonendocrine tumor histology to be independent prognostic factors of death. Conclusion: The incidence of pediatric lung cancer remains stable. Several factors, including nonsurgical treatment and nonendocrine tumors confer a poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and surgical therapy provide the best chance for survival.