Causes of death following small cell lung cancer diagnosis: a population-based analysis

Purpose To examine the distribution of causes of death (CODs) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods Patients diagnosed with SCLC were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database during 2004–2015. Standardized mortality rates (SMRs) were performed for each COD to present changes in risk for a particular COD following SCLC diagnosis. Results A total of 44,506 patients diagnosed with SCLC were identified in this study, and 42,476 patients died during the follow-up. Of total deaths, 69.5% occurred within the first years after diagnosis, 26% occurred from 1 to 3 years, and 4.5% individuals survived longer than 3 years. In addition, 88.7% of deaths were caused by SCLC, followed by non-cancer causes (7.1%) and other cancers (4.2%). Moreover, non-cancer CODs increased from 6.3 to 30% over time after 3 years of diagnosis. As for non-cancer CODs, cardiovascular diseases, COPD, and septicemia were the most common in SCLC. Conclusion Non-cancer CODs, such as cardiovascular events, COPD and septicemia, contribute to a considerable proportion of deaths among long-term SCLC survivors, supporting the involvement of multidisciplinary care for the follow-up strategy in SCLC.