A Case–Control Study of Lung Cancer at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Maharashtra, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or one in six deaths, in 2018. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancers are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancers are the most common among women. The present study attempts to determine the various factors associated with lung cancer in Indian settings. Objectives: This study aimed to study various epidemiological and environmental risk factors associated with lung cancer and making suitable recommendations. Materials and Methods: The present study is a case–control study and carried out at a tertiary care hospital of India. The population comprised patients attending the hospital for any of their disease conditions. The sample size was calculated as 68 cases and 68 controls. The duration of study was January 2015–June 2017. Ethical clearance was obtained from the college institutional ethics committee before the start of the study. Informed consent was obtained from each subject before the conduct of the study. Data collection was done by a pretested and prestructured questionnaire. Data entry and analysis was entered by researcher and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Results: On analysis, it was found that the use of tobacco product, duration of incense stick use, and fuel used for cooking food or heating significantly associated with lung cancer. Conclusions: The study concluded in bringing out the various epidemiological and other environmental risk factors causing lung cancer.