Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Patients with Lung Cancer

Abstract Objective Concomitance of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and primary lung cancer (LC) is not uncommon due to several shared risk factors. To evaluate the incidence of this association, analysis of the National Inpatient Sample database was utilized. Methods A retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample database between 2014 and 2018 for all patients diagnosed with primary LC was performed. The differences in the reported findings between the lung cancer and control groups were assessed using Pearson chi-squared, Fisher exact, student t-, and/or Mann–Whitney U tests where appropriate. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine independent predictors of the presence of documented AAA. Results A total of 158,904 patients were identified. Of those, 2,430 (1.53%) patients were diagnosed with AAA and 156,474 (98.47%) without AAA. In the multivariable model, LC patients had higher odds of AAA compared to general population (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.35 – 1.51). In all age groups, female smokers had a higher rate of AAA compared to female non-smokers (age 80, 2.63% vs. 1.31%; all P Conclusions LC and AAA share similar risk factors which may explain the higher AAA prevalence among LC patients. Given the higher prevalence of AAA in smokers compared to non-smokers across all age groups in both LC male and female patients, further sex-based studies investigating the overall mortality and morbidity benefits of AAA screening among LC patients are highly warranted. This consideration would potentially address the sex-disparity in outcomes for AAA management.