Location of lung carcinoma in relation to the smoking habit and gender.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the locations of lung carcinomas in relation to patient gender and smoking status. METHODS In order to test the hypothesis that lung carcinoma location (upper or lower lobe; left or right side) is correlated with smoking status and gender, we conducted a retrospective study of 697 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma treated at the Pulmonology-Oncology Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo. RESULTS We found that the bronchogenic carcinomas occurring in smokers were more frequently located in the upper lobes, whereas those occurring in nonsmokers were more frequently located in the lower lobes. In women, the neoplasms were more often seen in the lower lobes, especially in nonsmokers. Based on the available data, there were no differences in terms of the side affected (left or right). CONCLUSION Overall, bronchogenic carcinomas are predominantly found in the upper lobes. However, in nonsmokers, they occur more frequently in the lower lobes. In females, bronchogenic carcinomas present a tendency to occur more often in the lower lobes.