Objective: While Hungary is often reported to have the highest incidence and mortality
rates of lung cancer, until 2018 no nationwide epidemiology study was conducted to
confirm these trends. The objective of this study was to estimate the occurrence of
lung cancer in Hungary based on a retrospective review of the National Health Insurance
Fund (NHIF) database. Methods: Our retrospective, longitudinal study included patients
aged ≥20 years who were diagnosed with lung cancer (ICD-10 C34) between 1 Jan 2011
and 31 Dec 2016. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were calculated using
both the 1976 and 2013 European Standard Populations (ESP). Results: Between 2011
and 2016, 6,996 - 7,158 new lung cancer cases were recorded in the NHIF database annually,
and 6,045 - 6,465 all-cause deaths occurred per year. Age-adjusted incidence rates
were 115.7-101.6/100,000 person-years among men (ESP 1976: 84.7-72.6), showing a mean
annual change of - 2.26% (p = 0.008). Incidence rates among women increased from 48.3
to 50.3/100,000 person-years (ESP 1976: 36.9-38.0), corresponding to a mean annual
change of 1.23% (p = 0.028). Age-standardized mortality rates varied between 103.8
and 97.2/100,000 person-years (ESP 1976: 72.8-69.7) in men and between 38.3 and 42.7/100,000
person-years (ESP 1976: 27.8-29.3) in women. Conclusion: Age-standardized incidence
and mortality rates of lung cancer in Hungary were found to be high compared to Western-European
countries, but lower than those reported by previous publications. The incidence of
lung cancer decreased in men, while there was an increase in incidence and mortality
among female lung cancer patients.
