OSA in Never Smokers With Lung Cancer

Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Never Smokers With Newly Diagnosed Lung Cancer: Prevalence and Impact on Prognosis

Previous studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the association between obstructive sleep apnea and the prevalence and mortality of lung cancer. Smoking history, a common risk factor for lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, may act as a confounding variable, limiting interpretation of the results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in never smokers with lung cancer and to determine the effect of obstructive sleep apnea on the prognosis of lung cancer. Enrolled patients will undergo respiratory polygraphy before beginning treatment for lung cancer. This prospective cohort includes both cross sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Lung Cancer

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 77

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• South Korea
  • Seoul, South Korea, 03080
    • Seoul National University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Inpatients in a tertiary referral hospital

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Never smokers who are admitted to the Seoul National University Hospital and newly diagnosed with lung cancer, with ECOG Performance Status 0 or 1

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who have received treatment for lung cancer before the enrollment
• Patients who have received treatment for OSA before the enrollment
• Patients with an expected life expectancy of less than 3 months
• Patients with neuromuscular disease, chronic opioid medication use, or severe insomnia not controlled by medication
• Patients receiving supplemental oxygen therapy due to underlying diseases including heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial pulmonary disease, hypoventilation syndrome, stroke, or whose baseline oxygen saturation is less than 90%
• Patients with unstable medical conditions within the preceding 3 months (hospitalization due to acute exacerbation of underlying lung disease, diagnosis of unstable angina or myocardial infarction, history of percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery, or diagnosis of transient ischemic attack or stroke)
• Patients with an inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in never smokers with lung cancer	A primary outcome measure in a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study	1 week
Effects of obstructive sleep apnea on lung cancer mortality and overall mortality	A primary outcome measure in a longitudinal analysis of prospective cohort study	Follow up for 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Association between apnea-hyponea index (AHI) and the stage of lung cancer	A secondary outcome measure in a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study.	1 week
Association between the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and the stage of lung cancer	A secondary outcome measure in a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study.	1 week
Association between the sleep time spent with oxygen saturation< 90% (TS90) and the stage of lung cancer	A secondary outcome measure in a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study.	1 week
Effect of the apnea-hyponea index (AHI) on lung cancer mortality and overall mortality	A secondary outcome measure in a longitudinal analysis of prospective cohort study.	Follow up for 5 years
Effect of the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) on lung cancer mortality and overall mortality	A secondary outcome measure in a longitudinal analysis of prospective cohort study.	Follow up for 5 years
Effect of the sleep time spent with oxygen saturation< 90% (TS90) on lung cancer mortality and overall mortality	A secondary outcome measure in a longitudinal analysis of prospective cohort study.	Follow up for 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Seoul National University Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jaeyoung Cho, M.D., Ph.D., Seoul National University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Park J, Kim SY, Jo SM, Park YS, Cho J. Obstructive sleep apnea in never-smokers with newly diagnosed lung cancer: a prospective study in a predominantly female Korean population. Sci Rep. 2026 Mar 23. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-45232-7. Online ahead of print.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 3, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 24, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): June 24, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 10, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 24, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): February 4, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Sleep Wake Disorders; Apnea; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Apnea Syndromes; Lung Neoplasms; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21071691236

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No