Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Health
Advisor
Dr. Ji Shen
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States because of its lack of symptoms until late stages. It is noted that a 5-year relative survival rate can be improved by earlier cancer detection. The currently recommended age of screening by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force may not be optimal, and the recommendations are only for smokers. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between the stages of presentation of lung cancer and age at diagnosis using quantitative research. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER-18) database, 63,107 records were examined of patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2010-2015 was examined. Chi-squared and logistic regression were used to perform the data analyses. The results of both the chi-squared test and logistic regression showed a significant association between (1) age at diagnosis and the stages presentation of lung cancer after controlling for demographic risk factors; (2) the stages of presentation of lung cancer and the demographic risk factors after controlling age; and (3) the stages of lung cancer, age at diagnosis, and the demographic risk factors of lung cancer. The significant risk of people diagnosed with lung cancer was associated with age and demographic factors: gender, race/ethnicity, and geographical region. This study may help provide additional information for lung cancer screening with the most effective method in adults starting at age 45, which may have a significant positive social change.
Recommended Citation
Gingras, Marida, "Age at Diagnosis and Lung Cancer Presentation" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9738.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9738
