Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Very Young Woman: A Case Report and Critical Review of the Literature

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BACKGROUND: Lung cancer in young patients is quite uncommon; clinical presentation and outcome in this population compared to the older group are not yet well defined and data about this setting are mostly single-institutional retrospective analyses. CASE REPORT: We report here a case of a very young woman with diagnosis of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma harboring EML4-ALK rearrangement; she underwent radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy according to the pathologic stage. Potential risk factors for lung cancer in our patient are discussed and clinico-pathologic features and outcomes of lung cancer in the young population compared to the elderly are reviewed through discussing studies with sample sizes larger than 100 patients. CONCLUSIONS: A wide clinical overview should be performed when lung cancer is diagnosed in a young patient. Large-population studies are required to define the molecular signature and clinical behavior of lung cancer in young patients.