• Thilini L Basnayake, Patricia C Valery, Philip Carson, and Paolo B De Ieso.
• Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
• Intern Med J. 2021 Jul 1; 51 (7): 108110911081-1091.

BackgroundLung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related mortality for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and the death rate of lung cancer in Indigenous Australians is increasing.AimsTo provide a comprehensive description of patterns of lung cancer presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the Top End of the Northern Territory.MethodsRetrospective cohort study of adult patients with a new diagnosis of lung cancer in the Top End between January 2010 and December 2014. Unadjusted survival probabilities by indigenous status were calculated. The primary end-point was all-cause mortality.ResultsDespite receiving similar diagnostic procedures and treatment, Indigenous Australians with lung cancer have poorer 1- and 5-year survival (25.0% and 9.4% respectively), when compared to non-Indigenous Australians included in the study (42.0% and 16.2% respectively). Indigenous lung cancer patients were more likely to be female (51.6% of indigenous patients were female, compared to 30.5% non-indigenous), be current smokers (61.3% vs 36.9%), have more comorbidities (73.6% vs 52.7%, 24.2% vs 5.3% and 30.8% vs 14.2% for respiratory disease, renal insufficiency and diabetes mellitus respectively), and live in more socio-economically disadvantaged (66.7% vs 14.2%) and very remote areas (66.1% vs 6.8%). They were also more likely to die at home, compared to their non-indigenous counterparts (64.3% vs 26.7%).ConclusionsIndigenous patients from the Top End diagnosed with lung cancer were more likely to have poorer survival outcomes when compared to non-indigenous people. Potential reasons for the discrepancy in survival need to be addressed urgently.© 2020 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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