Clinical Features and Treatment Patterns of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study from 2017 - 2020

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and is the 8th leading cause of cancer mortality in Ethiopia. There are two main types of lung cancer: non–small cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer, with non–small cell lung cancer accounting for 80–85%. We report on a study of the clinical features, and treatment patterns of non-small cell lung cancer patients at the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional design conducted on data from September 2017 to September 2020. Data was collected and analysed using SPSS version 25 and descriptive statistics. Association was determined using chi-square test, with a p-value of less than 0.05 being considered significant. Result 126 patients (67 males, 59 females) were studied with a mean age of 52 years (range 24–90). Common symptoms were cough (82%), chest pain (32%), haemoptysis (17%), and shortness of breath (14%). Fifty-five (43.7%) patients had stage IVB lung cancer, while 41 (32.5%) had stage IVA. Twenty (16%) had ever smoked, and 20 (16%) had co-morbidities. Most primary lesions were located peripherally (73%), with adenocarcinoma (64.3%) being the most common histology type. Metastasis were found in 76.2%; common sites were pleura (27.8%) and bone (24.6%). 87.3% received chemotherapy, 93.6% of which was palliative. Radiotherapy was given for palliative treatment to 23.2%. Conclusion Most patients with non-small cell lung cancer seen at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Tertiary Hospital are in advanced stages of the disease, with adenocarcinoma as the most commonly found histology type. Surprisingly, only 16% of cases had a history of smoking. Future research should focus on the causes of lung cancer in the country.