What role do hormones play for women in lung cancer survival?

This study examined the role of hormone therapy in the survival of women with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer mortality and survival rates differ between male and female patients: female patients have better survival rates than male patients, for unexplained reasons. Studies examining hormonal factors, such as the presence of estrogen, have not been conclusive. While research has found that premenopausal women did not have significantly different overall survival than did postmenopausal women, other studies have indicated hormone therapy may play a role in survival rates. However, whether or not certain forms of hormone therapy (such as estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone combination therapy) are associated with lung cancer incidence or survival is not clear.

The current study examined whether hormone therapy was associated with overall survival (time from diagnosis/treatment until death from any cause) in female non-small-cell lung cancer patients. This analysis included 485 women, who answered questions pertaining to their medical history, smoking history, and reproductive history, including use of hormone therapy.

Of the total 485 patients, 230 (47.4%) had used some form of hormone therapy. The type of hormone therapy could be determined for 187 women: 99 used estrogen only, 3 used progesterone only, and 85 used a combination of estrogen and progesterone. The use of hormone therapy decreased the risk of mortality by 31% compared to those who did not use hormone therapy. Estrogen and progesterone combination therapy significantly decreased the risk of mortality (36% lower risk), while estrogen therapy alone did not (only 21% lower risk).

Prolonged use of hormone therapy, before the diagnosis of lung cancer, also significantly decreased the risk of mortality. Compared to women who did not use hormone therapy, women who had taken any form of hormone therapy for longer than 11 years had 46% lower risk of mortality. Women who had only taken hormone therapy for less than 41 months only had an 18% lower risk of mortality. Both prolonged estrogen only therapy (42% lower risk) and the combination of estrogen and progesterone (50% lower risk) significantly lowered the risk of mortality.

The study concluded that hormone therapy, particularly a combination of estrogen plus progesterone or prolonged hormone therapy, was associated with increased survival in women with non-small-cell lung cancer.