Objective To analyze the differences of the morbidity, clinicopathologic features and prognosis of Uygur lung cancer patients in Xinjiang.

Methods We collected the clinical data of 558 Uygur lung cancer patients treated in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 1st, 2005 to December 31st, 2014. Comparative analysis and follow-up visit were conducted on TNM stage, pathological type, driver gene, etc..

Results The male/female ratio was 1.37:1. Lung adenocarcinoma was dominating among the female and urban patients, while squamous carcinoma and small cell lung cancer mostly occurred in the male and rural patients and those with smoking history. Small cell lung cancer patients had the lowest 3-year survival rate, and lung adenocarcinoma patients had the highest 3-year survival rate; 21.8%(65/298) of these patients had EGFR gene mutation and mainly were nonsmoking, adenocarcinoma and female patients; 6.9% (11/159) had EML4-AL gene fusion, and mostly expressed in the adenocarcinoma patients, nonsmoking patients or the patients with smoking history but without EGFR gene mutation. The difference in overall survival (OS) between the patients with EGFR gene mutation in stage Ⅳ and the EGFR wild-type patients was not significant statistically (P=0.597). The difference in overall survival (OS) between the patients with EML4-ALK gene fusion in stage Ⅳ and the patients without EML4-ALK gene fusion was not significant statistically (P=0.941).

Conclusion Uygur lung cancer patients have relevant characteristics in clinical features, pathological type, epidemiological distribution and driver gene. Pathological type and TNM stage are independent factors influencing the prognosis of Uygur NSCLC patients.