Lipid profile tied to outcomes in lung squamous cell carcinoma

Among patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) appear to aggravate the risk of worse outcomes, a recent study has found.

Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 300 LUSC patients who underwent radical lung resection between 2016 and 2017. Predictive factors included HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) levels. Study outcomes included overall (OS) and disease-free (DFS) survival.

Median values for TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C were deemed to be 1.7, 5.2, 1.04, and 3.12, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis found that patients who fell below the TG and TC thresholds had significantly worse OS rates (p=0.011 and p=0.037, respectively), as opposed to those above the cutoffs. A similar effect was reported for HDL-C and LDL-C but fell short of statistical significance.

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model found that lower HDL-C was a significant and independent predictor of worse OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.546, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.380–0.784; p=0.001) and DFS (HR, 0.644, 95 percent CI, 0.422–0.981; p=0.041).

Meanwhile, high TG (HR, 0.546, 95 percent CI, 0.366–0.814; p=0.003) and LDL-C (HR, 0.652, 95 percent CI, 0.456–0.9393; p=0.019) correlated with better OS.

“Our research indicated that blood lipid levels were substantially correlated with LUSC generation and development and may be helpful in the identification of, and follow-up in, high-risk patients with LUSC,” the researchers said.