Survival and prognostic factors of surgically resected T4 non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Category T4 nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) encompasses heterogenous subgroups. We retrospectively analyzed the survival of patients with surgically resected T4 NSCLC to evaluate the evidence for prognostic implications according to the subgroups of T4 category, nodal status, and resection completeness. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with T4N0-2M0 NSCLC were divided into three subgroups within the T4 category: 24 patients with the tumor invading the mediastinal organs (mediastinal group), 16 with a malignant pleural effusion or dissemination (pleural group), and 36 with satellite tumor nodules within the ipsilateral primary tumor lobe (satellite group). Complete resection was possible in 47 patients (61.8%). The pathologic N statuses were N0 in 28, N1 in 13, and N2 in 35 patients. RESULTS: The overall survival of the 76 patients was 19.1% at 5 years. The overall 5-year survivals according to the three subgroups of the T4 category were as follows: mediastinal group, 18.2%; pleural group, 0%; and satellite group, 26.7% (mediastinal/satellite versus pleural, p = 0.037). Factors significantly influencing the overall 5-year survival were the pathologic N status (N2 versus N0-1, p = 0.022) and the completeness of resection (complete versus incomplete, p = 0.0001). A multivariate survival analysis demonstrated that the pathologic N status and the completeness of resection were significant independent predictors of a poorer prognosis even after adjusting for the subgroup of the T4 category. CONCLUSIONS: Resectable T4N0-1 NSCLC that is not due to pleural disease deserves consideration of aggressive surgical resection with expected 5-year survival of about 20%.     

Results of surgical treatment of lung cancer involving the diaphragm

OBJECTIVES: Lung cancers with diaphragmatic invasion are categorized as T3 lesions, but the surgical results have not been well known. We retrospectively surveyed patients with resected primary lung cancers involving the diaphragm. METHODS: A total of 16,771 patients underwent surgical resection for lung carcinoma between 1986 and 1995 at 31 institutions of the Lung Cancer Surgical Study Group in Japan. By investigating the database, we identified 63 patients (0. 38%) who underwent resection of T3 lung cancer invading the diaphragm. These patients constituted the study population, and their clinical and pathologic records were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Tumor invasion to the diaphragm was diagnosed before operation only in 17 patients (27.0%). Complete resections of the primary lung tumors with the invaded diaphragm were performed in 55 patients (87.3%), of whom 26 had T3 N0 M0 diseases and 29 had T3 Nl-2 M0 diseases. The operative mortality was 1.6% in all patients. The 5-year survival of patients with complete resection was 22.6%, but there was no 4-year survivor in patients with incomplete resection (P =.024). The survivals of patients with completely resected T3 N0 M0 and T3 N1-2 M0 tumors were 28.3% and 18.1%, respectively (P =.013). In those patients, the depth of diaphragmatic involvement significantly affected the prognosis. The 5-year survival of the patients with shallow invasion (parietal pleura or subpleural tissue involvement) was 33.0%, whereas that of the patients with deep invasion (muscle or peritoneal infiltration) was 14.3% (P =.036). CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients with lung carcinoma and diaphragmatic invasion, combined resection of the lung and diaphragm offers the prospect of cure with acceptable mortality. However, primary lung tumors with diaphragmatic invasion, especially invasion of the muscle layer or deeper tissue, are not considered to be T3 lesions, because these cancers are generally technically resectable but oncologically almost incurable.     

T4 advanced lung cancer: results of surgical treatment and indications of surgical resection

A total of 1,289 patients with primary lung cancer were surgically treated at our hospital from January 1953 to December 1985. Surgical treatment for T4 lung cancer was studied in 93 patients who had pulmonary resections. The relationships between histologic type, stage, method of resection, curability, nodal involvement, pleural involvement, site of invasion, pleural metastasis, pleural effusion, combination therapy, and the survival rate were analyzed. The survival rate of 93 patients with T4 lung cancer was 17% at 3 years and 7% at 5 years. Three-year survival rate of 39 patients with adenocarcinoma, 34 patients with squamous cell carcinoma, and 9 patients with large cell carcinoma was 7%, 23%, and 14%, respectively. Two-year survival rate of 6 patients with small cell carcinoma was 17%. Four-year survival rate of 14 patients who had complete resection was 33%. On the other hand, four-year survival rate of 77 patients who had incomplete resection was 7%. Three-year survival rate of 6 patients with N0 disease, and 19 patients with N1 disease, 46 patients with N2 disease, and 22 patients with NX disease was 40%, 39%, 0%, and 15%, respectively. Two patients, who had partial resection of the left atrium because carcinoma made an invasion upon it, had survived more than 5 years. All patients with esophageal invasion or tracheal invasion had died within a year. Indications of surgical resection for patients with T4 lung cancer should be limited to patients with N0 and N1 disease. Radical pulmonary resection can be performed in patients who are expected to have complete resection.     

En bloc resection for T3 bronchogenic carcinoma with chest wall invasion

From January 1960 to January 1986, 77 patients with lung cancer invading the chest wall underwent operations in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Rome. Chest pain, alone or with other symptoms, was the presenting complaint in 52 patients (67%). All patients underwent thoracotomy (25 pneumonectomy, 5 bilobectomy, 23 lobectomy, 2 wedge resection, 22 no pulmonary resection), with an operative mortality of 7.8%. At thoracotomy, mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed in 36 cases; after the operation 10 patients were classified as T3 N0 M0, 11 as T3 N1 M0, 15 as T3 N2 M0; 19 patients (34.5%) were staged T3 Nx M0 because mediastinal dissection was not performed. En bloc resection of the chest wall was performed on 37 patients. The actuarial 5-year survival of 55 patients following potentially curative resection was 15%. Five-year survival was 22% for N0, 12% for N1 and 8% for N2 patients. Five-year survival for squamous cell, large cell, and adenocarcinoma was 22%, 10% and 14%, respectively. T3 N0 M0 patients with squamous cell carcinoma had a 5-year survival of 32%. Pain relief was achieved in 45% of our patients. Resection of pulmonary parenchyma and part of the thoracic wall for lung cancer yields palliation of pain in a fairly large number of patients and may result in long-term survival in selected cases.     

Chest wall invasion in non-small cell lung carcinoma: a rationale for en bloc resection

OBJECTIVE: The choice of surgical approach to non-small cell lung cancer invading the chest wall, extrapleural resection versus en bloc chest wall resection, is much more related to the experience of the surgeon than to objective criteria. The aim of the present study is to help to establish a rationale for en bloc chest wall resection in lung cancer invading the chest wall. METHODS: From January 1990 to June 1999, of 1855 patients having major pulmonary resections for non-small cell lung carcinoma, 104 (5.6%) patients with neoplasms involving the chest wall underwent en bloc chest wall and lung resection plus radical mediastinal lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: All patients underwent complete resection with microscopically disease-free tissue margins. Depth of invasion was into the parietal pleura only in 28 (26.92%), into the pleura and soft tissue in 36 (34.62%), and into the pleura, soft tissue, and bone in 40 (38.46%). No operative mortality was reported. Follow-up was completed in 96 patients. One patient had a local recurrence. The overall 5-year estimated survival was 61.4%. Survival in the subsets T3 N0 and T3 N2 were, respectively, 67.3% and 17.9% (P =.007). The 5-year survival was 79.1% in involvement of parietal pleura only and 54.0% in involvement of soft tissue with or without bone invasion (P =.014). Five-year survival was 53.0% in adenocarcinoma versus 71.8% in squamous cell carcinoma (P =.329) and 74.1% in patients who did undergo radiation therapy versus 46.7% in patients who did not undergo radiation therapy (P =.023). CONCLUSIONS: En bloc resection of the chest wall and lung is the procedure of choice to obtain complete resection in lung carcinoma invading the chest wall. Survival is highly dependent on the completeness of resection, nodal involvement, and depth of chest wall invasion.     

隆凸部位原发性肺癌的手术治疗

作者对１３例涉及隆凸部位的中心型肺癌行切除治疗。鳞癌１１例,腺癌２例Ｔ３Ｎ２Ｍ０３例,Ｔ４Ｎ２Ｍ０１０例。根治手术１０例,姑息手术３例。右全肺切除隆凸全切除３例。右全肺切除隆凸部分切除６例,左全肺切除隆凸部分切除１例,右上中叶切除隆凸部分切除下叶隆凸部位吻合３例。无手术并发症及手术死亡。３年治愈率５４％,５年治愈率３０％,１例已存活８年。该类患者如纵隔淋巴结无广泛转移,局部病灶允许切除,手术效果仍较满意。作者对术中血管、支气管隆凸部的处理提出了自己的经验。     

Economic operations in the surgical treatment of cancer of the lung

Retrospective analysis of case records of 75 patients who were subjected to resection of a lung in a volume less than lobectomy showed that 2 types of economical operations are carried out today on patients with lung carcinoma: atypical resection and segmentectomy. According to the authors, such operations accounted for 2.4% of all lung resections for this disease. The main indication for radical resection of the lung in a volume less than lobectomy is stage I peripheral non-small-cell carcinoma (T1N0M0) in patients with serious concomitant diseases. Economical resection of the lung may be carried out in occasional cases with stage II of the disease (T2N0M0) and as a palliative measure. The late-term results provide evidence of the oncological expediency of economical operations in stage I peripheral carcinoma: for instance, 5- and 10-year survival of patients in such cases is 68.4 and 38.4%, respectively.     

Gallbladder Cancer: Defining the Indications for Primary Radical Resection and Radical Re-resection

Background The role of radical resection for gallbladder cancer is an ongoing area of debate. In this review, we present our experience managing gallbladder cancer at a tertiary center by using an aggressive surgical approach for T2 or greater disease, reserving simple cholecystectomy only for T1 lesions. Methods Seventy-six patients with histologically confirmed gallbladder cancer were identified from our cancer registry. Estimated survival distributions were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and comparisons were made by using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the effect on survival of T stage, nodal status, age, and margins. Results Sixty-four patients were assessable for this study. Simple cholecystectomy was the only procedure performed in 10 T2 and 15 T3 cases. Radical cholecystectomy was performed as the primary procedure in two T2, two T3, and six T4 cases. Radical re-resection was accomplished in seven T2 and two T3 cases. Excluding the T4 group, there was a significant survival advantage (P = .007) for the radical resection group (n = 13; median survival not yet reached) compared with the simple cholecystectomy group (n = 25; median survival, 17 months; 95% confidence interval, 7–27 months). Analysis of the 13 T2 and T3 patients who underwent radical resections revealed that the radical re-resection group (n = 9) had an overall survival similar to that of the primarily resected group (n = 4). All T2N⁺ and T3N⁻ patients are still alive and disease free after 5 years of follow-up, whereas none of the T3N⁺ or T4 patients survived beyond 24 months. Increasing T stage and age (>65 years) were independent predictors of a poor prognosis. Conclusions Radical resection for T2 and T3 disease resulted in a significant survival advantage compared with simple cholecystectomy. Patients who undergo radical re-resection after an incidentally discovered gallbladder cancer experience the same survival benefit as primarily resected patients. Radical resection for T2N⁻, T2N⁺, and T3N0 cases can achieve long-term survival. Conversely, the prognosis for T3N⁺ and T4 patients is poor, and improved outcome for this group will likely depend on the development of multi-institutional neoadjuvant clinical trials that can identify effective systemic regimens. Presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Atlanta, Georgia, March 3–6, 2005.     

Multifocal T4 non-small cell lung cancer: a subset with improved prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: T4-disease for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) includes different conditions: mediastinal invasion, neoplastic pleural cytology, and multifocal disease in the same lobe; regarding the last category, no strict criteria allow to differentiate satellite nodules from synchronous multiple primary tumours. METHODS: Retrospective study of 56 patients who underwent a complete resection from 1985 to 2006 of a NSCLC graded pT4N0 due to multifocal disease. A small nodule (<1cm) closed to the primary tumour, in a same pulmonary segment with an identical histology was considered as a satellite nodule (pT4sn). Multiple tumours, sized more than 1cm, with an identical histology, located in the same lobe but in different segment were considered as synchronous cancers (pT4sc). RESULTS: There were 44 males and 12 females: 35 patients were graded T4sn and 21 patients T4sc. The median age was 62.5 years. The two groups were similar for sex, age, tobacco consumption, ASA score, NYHA, Charlson's index, spirometric parameters, cardiovascular comorbidity and history of previous extra-thoracic malignancies. All had a complete anatomic resection with mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Thirty-day mortality rate was 3.6%. Overall 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 48.2% and 29.9%, respectively. There was a non-significant trend for a worse survival in T4sn group patients when compared to that of T4sc group patients: 42.9% vs 52.3% at 5 years, and 25% vs 34.9% at 10 years (p=0.62). CONCLUSIONS: Multifocal T4 stage IIIB disease is a heterogeneous category where overall prognosis is far better than those of other T4 subgroups. Survival rates associated with pT4sn and pT4sc look roughly similar because of the small size of the subgroups usually submitted to comparison in most series. In the present experience, respective survival figures diverge, suggesting different biological behaviours.     

Resection and radical lymphadenectomy for lung cancer: prognostic significance of lymphatic metastases

From 1979 to 1987, 1103 thoracotomies were performed in patients with lung cancer: 824 (74.7%) radical resections, 141 (12.7%) palliative resections and 138 (12.5%) exploratory thoracotomies. Among the 965 patients who underwent resection, 539 patients were N0, 190 patients N1 and 236 patients N2. Among patients with N1 disease we observed more frequent hilar metastases in the more advanced tumors (p less than 0.05). In 84 out of the 232 N2 patients (36.2%; 13.4% of all patients) a skipping of all pulmonary sites was observed. The most commonly invaded mediastinal levels were the paratracheal nodes on the right and the aortic nodes on the left, followed by the subcarinal nodes. The greater the neoplastic involvement of pulmonary nodal sites, the higher the percentage of patients with N2 disease and the number of mediastinal levels with tumor cells (p less than 0.05). The 5-year survival rate is 60% for N0, 46% for N1 and 23% for N2 disease. There is no significant difference in survival between N2 and N1 + N2 patients. Metastatic involvement of both upper and lower mediastinal levels carries a poorer prognosis compared to involvement of one compartment only (p less than 0.02). Patients with findings of mediastinal metastatic involvement should be selected: studies on lymphatic metastases are useful to better establish surgical indications for N2 patients.     

Surgical management of thoracic malignancies invading the heart or great vessels

Background

Surgical resection of thoracic malignancies involving either the heart or great vessels is uncommonly performed because of the potential morbidity and mortality for an unknown probability of significant palliation or cure. We reviewed our experience of 10 patients treated surgically, either primarily or as a component of multimodality therapy, to assess feasibility and results.

Methods

A retrospective review of the results in 10 patients who underwent resection of thoracic malignancies that included either great vessel or the heart was conducted.

Results

Histologic diagnoses included soft tissue sarcoma (n = 7), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 1), malignant thymoma (n = 1), and mediastinal teratoma (n = 1). Three patients underwent induction chemotherapy. Cardiopulmonary bypass was used in 7 patients. Structures resected included superior vena cava (n = 5), left atrium (n = 4), right atrium (n = 2), descending aorta (n = 1), and main pulmonary artery (n = 1). Concomitant anatomic pulmonary resections were performed in 3 patients. Seven patients had an R0 or R1 resection. There were no perioperative deaths. All symptomatic patients had immediate and sustained palliation of their presenting symptoms. The median length of stay was 6 days (range, 4 to 43 days). Six patients underwent postoperative systemic therapy. The overall median survival was 21.7 months (range, 3.2 to 69 months) and was 33.3 months (range, 3.7 to 69 months) for patients who had an R0 or R1 resection.

Conclusions

Resection of the heart and great vessels involved by thoracic malignancies can be performed with acceptable morbidity and mortality and results in significant palliation and, in some cases, prolonged survival.     

Analysis of T1N0M0 nonsmall cell lung cancer undergoing surgical resection without mediastinal lymph node dissection

Eleven patients of T1N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer underwent relatively non-curative surgical resection without mediastinal lymph node dissection (the undissected group). The 5 year survival rate of this group was 70.7% and no significant difference in survival was found between the undissected group and the patients of T1N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer undergoing absolutely curative surgical resection (the dissected group). No patient died of pneumonia in the undissected group, while 4 aged patients in the dissected group died of pneumonia. This may suggest that mediastinal lymph node dissection is also injurious in distant period after surgery, especially in the aged patient. So "simple lobectomy" without mediastinal lymph node dissection may be considered as an elective procedure in the poor risk patient such as the aged, who has an early staged non-small cell lung cancer.     

T4 lung cancer: results of surgical treatment

Stage T4 non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) includes an heterogeneous group of locally advanced tumors. Results of surgery alone and of chemo and/or radiotherapy are disappointing with 5-year survival rates under 10%. Although palliative chemo-radiotherapy is the treatment of choice in most cases, radical resection has shown prognostic benefit in selected groups of patients with tumor infiltrating Superior Vena Cava, carina, aorta, left atrium and vertebral bodies. Completeness of resection and absence of mediastinal nodal involvement are fundamental conditions for the long-term success of surgery. Increased postoperative 30-day mortality and 90-day mortality rates have been reported up to 8% and 18% respectively. Neoadjuvant therapy, in the last decades, has shown to improve survival of T4 NSCLC patients undergoing surgery and to increase the number of patients suitable for surgical resection. Surgical resection is not indicated in patients with neoplastic pleural effusion since it is generally related to a worse prognosis in such cases. Conversely, patients with T4 tumor due to neoplastic satellite nodule in the same lobe are good surgical candidates. In some studies, these patients show a significant survival advantage after surgical treatment with respect to patients with other types of T4 tumors, when no mediastinal nodal involvement is associated.     

Modified stage I (T1N0M0, T2N0M0), nonsmall cell lung cancer: treatment results, recurrence patterns, and adjuvant immunotherapy

We analyzed 96 patients who had surgery with T1N0M0 or T2N0M0 nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to identify survival rates and recurrence patterns in well-staged patients and to evaluate adjuvant therapy. Preoperative staging included chest x-ray, gallium 67 scanning, and bronchoscopy in all patients. At thoracotomy, multiple mediastinal lymph node sites were routinely sampled. The results included an operative mortality rate of 5.2%, and the actuarial 5-year survival rate of all patients was 70.0%. Survival of T1N0 (n = 44) and T2N0 (n = 47) patients was 72.1% and 68.3%, respectively (p = NS). Survival was not affected by type of surgery, cell type, sex, age, or race. Late death was due to recurrence in 12 patients, a new airway malignancy in three, and a noncancer problem in six. Disease recurred in 15 patients: four (9.1%) T1N0 patients versus 11 (23.4%) T2N0 patients, p less than 0.05. Recurrence was local in four patients and distant in 11. Second lung cancers developed in six patients at a mean interval of 65.7 months after resection. A prospective, randomized trial of systemic immunotherapy with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) skin scarification was carried out in 29 patients. Survival in those patients receiving BCG was 85.9% compared with 63.9% for control subjects (p = 0.075) and 69.6% for patients not in the study (p = 0.077). The following conclusions can be made: Resection for well-staged, modified stage I NSCLC results in a 5-year survival rate of 70%. Nearly half the deaths are unrelated to recurrence of the original cancer. Recurrences are more frequent in T2N0 patients, but there is no survival difference compared with T1N0 patients. Systemic recurrences are more frequent than local recurrences, and there is an appreciable incidence of second lung cancers. Adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy does not seem justified, but systemic immunotherapy holds sufficient promise to warrant further investigation.     

Extent of chest wall invasion and survival in patients with lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The long-term survival after operation of patients with lung cancer involving the chest wall is known to be related to regional nodal involvement and completeness of resection, but it is not known whether the depth of chest wall involvement or the type of resection (extrapleural or en bloc) affects either the rate of local recurrence or survival. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center experience between 1974 and 1993 of 334 patients undergoing surgical exploration for lung cancer involving the chest wall or parietal pleura. RESULTS: Of 334 patients who underwent exploration, 175 had apparently complete (R0) resections, 94 had incomplete (R1 or R2) resections, and 65 underwent exploration without resection. The overall 5-year survival of R0 patients was 32%, of R1 or R2 patients 4%, and of patients undergoing exploration without resection 0%. In the patients undergoing R0 resections, the extent of chest wall involvement was limited to the parietal pleura in 80 patients, and extended into the ribs or soft tissues in 95. The 5-year survival of R0 patients with T3 N0 M0 disease was 49%, T3 N1 M0 disease 27%, and T3 N2 M0 disease 15% (p < 0.0003). Independent of lymph node involvement, a survival advantage was observed in R0 patients if the chest wall involvement was limited to parietal pleura only, rather than invading into the chest wall musculature or ribs. CONCLUSIONS: Survival of patients with lung cancer invading the chest wall after resection with curative intent is highly dependent on the extent of nodal involvement and the completeness of resection, and much less so on the depth of chest wall invasion.     

Does radical resection improve the survival in patients with carcinoma of the gallbladder who are 75 years old and older?

Radical resections have been reported to improve the surgical outcome for patients with carcinoma of the gallbladder. In recent years surgeons have had more opportunities to operate on elderly patients. We investigated whether the survival rate of aged patients who had radical resections were better than rates for those who had simple cholecystectomy. Of the 300 patients treated for carcinoma of the gallbladder between 1971 and 1999, 206 resected cases (except pancreaticoduodenectomy and hepatectomy) were divided into two groups: age 75 years or older, 54 patients (the older group), and age less than 75 years, 152 patients (the younger group). Clinical features and progression of the carcinomas did not differ between the two groups. In the older group, 22 patients (40.7%) had simple cholecystectomy, 32 (59.3%) had radical resections; in the younger group, 65 patients (42.8%) had simple cholecystectomy, and 87 (57.3%) had radical resection. None of the older patients who had radical resection died postoperatively. Postoperative survival was not different between the two groups. In the older group the 5-year survival rate for patients who had radical resections was better (60.9%) than the rate for those who had simple cholecystectomy (14.1%) (p = 0.0098). Radical resection is effective for the aged patients with the carcinoma of gallbladder.     

手术切除的T4卫星灶非小细胞肺癌的预后分析

目的 研究手术治疗后T4卫星灶非小细胞肺癌的生存和预后.方法 回顾性分析1995年1月至2005年3月经手术切除的42例T4卫星灶N0-2M0非小细胞肺癌患者的术后生存情况,评价各临床病理因素与预后的关系,并与同期32例手术切除的T4局部器官侵犯N0-2M0的非小细胞肺癌进行生存比较.结果 T4卫星灶组无手术死亡,术后早期并发症率为14.3%,1、3、5年生存率分别为76.2%、57.1%和46.0%;T4局部器官侵犯组术后早期并发症率为28.1%,1、3、5年生存率分别为62.3%、31.5%和20.0%;两组生存率有明显差异(P<0.05).根据淋巴结转移情况进一步分组,两组中N0M0患者的生存率均高于同组的N1-2M0患者(P<0.05).单因素分析显示,组织学类型、原发灶大小、有无淋巴结转移及是否术后辅助化疗与T4卫星灶患者的5年生存率相关;多因素分析显示原发灶大小、有无淋巴结转移及是否接受术后化疗是独立的预后影响因素.结论 原发灶直径3 cm、淋巴结转移以及未接受术后化疗的T4卫星灶非小细胞肺癌预后不佳,经手术完全切除的T4卫星灶非小细胞肺癌的预后好于T4局部器官侵犯者.     

Extended resection for lung cancer invading mediastinal organs.

We analyzed 49 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer invading mediastinal organs such as the left atrium (15), superior vena cava (13), trachea (11), aorta (5), thoracic vertebral body (4) and esophagus (1). Lung resection included lobectomy (37), pneumonectomy (8) and limited resection (4). Twenty-seven patients underwent carina- or bronchoplasty. Complete resection was possible in 35 patients. Operative mortality was 12% and overall 5-year survival was 13%. Median survival time was 519 days. Factors significantly affecting survival were the completeness of resection, node status, and histological type. Five-year survival was 18% with complete resection and 0% with incomplete resection (p < 0.0001). Five-year survival for patients with squamous cell carcinoma was 36% and for those with other types of lung cancer, 0% (p < 0.02). Five-year survival for patients classified pathologically as N0 or N1 was 36% and, for those classified as N2 or N3, 0% (p < 0.05). We concluded that aggressive resection for lung cancer invading the mediastinal organs involves a high mortality rate, making selectivity important. Patients undergoing complete resection, classified as N0 or N1, and having squamouse cell carcinoma may benefit most from surgery.     

Chest wall invasion in carcinoma of the lung. Therapeutic and prognostic implications

From 1974 through 1983, 125 patients underwent operation at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for non-small cell carcinoma of the lung invading the chest wall. (Excluded are those with superior sulcus tumors or distant metastases at presentation.) Eighty patients were male and 45 were female. Ages ranged from 33 to 88 years (median 60 years). Histologically, the tumors were epidermoid carcinoma in 46%, adenocarcinoma in 46%, and large cell carcinoma in 8%. All patients underwent thoracotomy (pneumonectomy 19, bilobectomy seven, lobectomy 75, wedge resection 10, and no pulmonary resection 14), with an operative mortality of 4%. At thoracotomy, mediastinal lymph node dissection was routinely performed, and the postsurgical stage was T3 N0 M0 in 53%, T3 N1 M0 in 13%, and T3 N2 M0 in 34%. Extrapleural resection was performed in 66 patients. En bloc resection of chest wall and lung was performed in 45 patients with an operative mortality of 2%. Complete resection of tumor was possible in 77 patients (62%). Extension of tumor beyond the parietal pleura significantly decreased resectability. The median survival of 48 patients having incomplete resection was 9 months, despite perioperative interstitial and external radiation. The actuarial 5 year survival rate (Kaplan-Meier) of 77 patients having complete resection was 40%. This percentage was not significantly influenced by the patient's age or sex or by tumor size or histologic type. Lymphatic metastases significantly reduced survival, with a 5 year actuarial survival rate of 56% for patients with T3 N0 M0 disease and 21% for those with T3 N1 M0 or T3 N2 M0 disease (p = 0.005). The extent of tumor invasion of the chest wall appeared to influence survival, but in the absence of lymphatic metastases the difference at 5 years was not significant. Complete resection offers a significant chance for long-term survival in lung cancer directly extending into parietal pleura and chest wall. Extrapleural resection or en bloc chest wall resection can be performed with a low operative mortality and an expected 5 year survival in excess of 50% in the absence of lymphatic metastases.     

Extended resection for lung cancer invading mediastinal organs

We analyzed 49 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer invading mediastinal organs such as the left atrium (15), superior vena cava (13), trachea (11), aorta (5), thoracic vertebral body (4) and esophagus (1). Lung resection included lobectomy (37), pneumonectomy (8) and limited resection (4). Twenty-seven patients underwent carina- or bronchoplasty. Complete resection was possible in 35 patients. Operative mortality was 12% and overall 5-year survival was 13%. Median survival time was 519 days. Factors significantly affecting survival were the completeness of resection, node status, and histological type. Five-year survival was 18% with complete resection and 0% with incomplete resection (p < 0.0001). Five-year survival for patients with squamous cell carcinoma was 36% and for those with other types of lung cancer, 0% (p < 0.02). Five-year survival for patients classified pathologically as N0 or N1 was 36% and, for those classified as N2 or N3, 0% (p < 0.05). We concluded that aggressive resection for lung cancer invading the mediastinal organs involves a high mortality rate, making selectivity important. Patients undergoing complete resection, classified as N0 or N1, and having squamouse cell carcinoma may benefit most from surgery.