Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with lung cancer. Results from the prospective SAIL study Sleep Apnea In Lung Cancer)

Introduction: OSA has been linked to oncogenesis and tumor proliferation. The SAIL study (NCT02764866) investigated the prevalence of OSA in patients with lung cancer. Patients & Methods: The SAIL study was designed as a prospective observational study to determine the prevalence of OSA in patients with lung cancer prior to initiating oncologic treatment. All patients were offered home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) with the Nox T3 device and completed a sleep specific questionnaire. Pertinent epidemiologic, respiratory, oncologic and sleep variables were recorded. Results: Eighty-three patients signed informed consent and 60 patients completed HSAT. Most were male (58%) with a mean age of 68 years and mean BMI of 28,1 kg/m2. Mean tobacco exposure was 54 pack-years. 50% had COPD with a mean FEV1 of 83% of predicted and a diffusing capacity of 85.5%. Adenocarcinoma (46.7%) was the most common histology type, followed by squamous cell (16.7%), and small cell LC (16.7%). 43.3% were stage IV and only 32% were stage I-II. Eighty percent of patients had OSA (AHI>5) and 50% had moderate to severe OSA (AHI>15) with mean Epworth scores of 7.43. AHI was inversely correlated with tumor stage and desaturation indices (p=0.01). Conclusions: OSA is very prevalent in lung cancer and its severity appears inversely correlated with tumor stage.