The Association for the Investigation of Lung Cancer in Women (ICAPEM) has released the results of the "CLARISSE" study, which confirm "an increase in the proportion of women with small cell lung cancer in the last six years," as the percentage of female patients with this tumor "went from 28.4 percent in 2019 to 37.1 percent in 2024."
This project, driven by ICAPEM with the support of the pharmaceutical company PharmaMar, "allows, for the first time, an updated picture of small cell lung cancer in Spain," according to Dr. Pilar Garrido, head of the Medical Oncology Service at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid and principal investigator.
The research focuses on "one of the most aggressive tumors with the worst prognosis" and, according to ICAPEM, reveals that "it is changing its profile in Spain." The data have been presented at the Annual Congress of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), recently held in Chicago, and will also be disseminated at the congresses of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).
Specialists have indicated that "a progressive increase in the proportion of women" has been observed and "significant differences between men and women in clinical profile, toxicity, and survival" have been highlighted. The analysis was conducted on 4,428 patients diagnosed between 2019 and 2024, treated in 29 Oncology Services of public hospitals in the 17 autonomous communities, with a tumor that "represents approximately 15 percent of all lung cancer diagnoses."
As experts recall, this type of cancer "is characterized by its rapid growth and high capacity for dissemination," and "nearly 70 percent of patients are diagnosed in advanced stages." In this context, the Global Senior Manager Medical Affairs of PharmaMar, Beatriz Rivas de Otero, has emphasized that, "despite advances in treatment in recent years, small cell lung cancer still has a limited prognosis, making real-world data like that from 'CLARISSE' essential for identifying areas for improvement and continuing to advance in its management."
The study points out that the increase in cases in women is related to "the later incorporation of the female population into the smoking habit in recent decades". Furthermore, it is observed that "they were diagnosed at younger ages than men (64.5 versus 67.9 years on average) and presented different clinical and toxicity profiles".
A change in profile and differences by sex
"The results reflect a change in the profile of patients with small cell lung cancer," Garrido reiterated, who also highlighted that "they also demonstrate the value of real-world studies" to "better understand the disease and move towards more precise and tailored care to the needs of each patient".
The work confirms that, "despite therapeutic advances, the prognosis of the disease continues to be very limited," given that "the median survival was 9.1 months." Likewise, "relevant" differences in survival are identified, since "women presented a higher median survival than men (10.8 versus 8.3 months)".
The analysis also detects "a profile of adverse effects associated with treatment in women that differs by sex, as well as a greater need for hospitalization related to toxicities in women," according to the experts.
On the other hand, ICAPEM insists that "smoking continues to be the main risk factor associated with this tumor," since "67.4 percent of the women included in the analysis were active smokers at the time of diagnosis, compared to 55.5 percent of men." "On the contrary, the percentage of former smokers was higher in men, a fact that the researchers relate to the evolution of tobacco consumption habits in both sexes," they added.
In light of these findings, the president of ICAPEM and head of the Medical Oncology Service at the Lozano Blesa University Clinical Hospital in Zaragoza, Dr. Dolores Isla, has called for "incorporating a gender perspective in the approach to lung cancer." "There are clinical, biological, and social differences that must be considered to move towards more personalized and equitable Oncology," she concluded.