Survival and Chemotherapy Response in Metastatic Lung Carcinoids: Insights from the National Cancer Database

Abstract

Background: Metastatic lung carcinoids (MLCs) represent a rare subset of lung cancers with distinct histologic subtypes. Survival outcomes and prognostic factors have not been well-studied in the real-world setting. This study investigates the impact of various treatments, including chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and no treatment, on the overall survival (OS) of patients with typical and atypical MLC. Methods: Patients with MLC between 2010 and 2020 were included from the National Cancer Database based on histologic codes ICD-O-3 8240/3 and 8249/3. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression were used to compare OS and evaluate prognostic factors. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 68 and 69 years for atypical and typical MLC, respectively. The 3-year OS for the atypical MLC cohort was 22.11, and for typical MLC was 41.94 (P < 0.001). In the atypical MLC cohort, chemotherapy showed a nonsignificant benefit in OS (hazard ratio HR, 0.89; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.73-1.05; P = 0.21), whereas hormonal therapy was associated with significantly improved OS (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52-0.98; P =0.04). However, in the typical MLC cohort, chemotherapy was associated with adverse OS (HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.85-2.49; P < 0.0001), and hormonal treatment showed better, albeit nonsignificant OS (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.67-1.05; P = 0.13). Conclusion: There is a notable difference in survival outcomes between typical and atypical MLC based on the treatment strategies. While hormonal therapy shows improvement in the OS, the effectiveness of chemotherapy varies depending on the histologic subtype. These findings emphasize the necessity for personalized therapeutic approaches based on the specific characteristics of MLC, ultimately contributing to improved patient outcomes in this challenging oncologic group. Further research is warranted to validate and expand upon these observations. © 2025 Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.