Trends in hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates among patients with lung cancer in Spain between 2010 and 2020

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the third most frequent tumor and the main cause of death by tumor in Spain. Although the incidence and mortality are still significantly higher in men than in women, the disparity between the sexes is decreasing. The objective of this study was to analyze the evolution of lung cancer hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates in Spain from 2010 to 2020. METHODS: The reports of the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS) at hospital discharge were used to retrospectively analyze the data of all patients with a primary diagnosis of lung cancer, according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM). RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2020, there were 315,263 hospitalizations and 70,490 deaths from lung cancer in Spain, the majority (~ 80%) in men. Overall, the rates of hospitalization and in-hospital mortality from lung cancer showed a downward trend throughout the period, although the number of new diagnoses and the absolute number of deaths in women increased. Due to the aging of the population, the degree of comorbidity in patients with lung cancer, although it remains relatively low, is also on the rise. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer represents a substantial clinical and economic burden for patients and for the National Health System, so it is necessary to promote primary prevention campaigns, as well as to develop more effective population screening measures to detect cancers early and increase the patient survival. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-10205-2.