LAUSR

Key Points Question To what extent does stage shift act as a confounding variable in the evaluation of population mortality of non–small cell lung cancer? Findings In this cohort study of 312 382 patients, stage shift from later to earlier stage disease over the last decade was associated with improved mortality among people with lung cancer. Meaning These findings suggest that studies investigating treatments for lung cancer must take into account stage shift and the confounding association with survival and mortality outcome.