Trends in incidence and histological subtypes of lung cancer, Kingston and St Andrew, Jamaica, 1968-1997.

Several scientific publications have reported a progressive shift in the distribution of the histologic subtypes of lung carcinoma in the latter decades of the 20th century, with adenocarcinoma now surpassing squamous cell carcinoma as the most commonly diagnosed morphologic pattern. A 30-year review (1968-1997) of lung cancer cases registered in the Jamaica cancer registry shows a similar trend among males in Kingston and St Andrew with a progressive increase in the documented cases of adenocarcinoma relative to squamous cell carcinoma. Similar changes were not observed in females.