Multiple primary lung cancers. Results of surgical treatment

During a 13-year period, multiple primary lung cancers were diagnosed in 80 consecutive patients. Forty-four patients had metachronous cancers. The initial pulmonary resection was lobectomy in 36 patients, bilobectomy in 3, pneumonectomy in 1, and wedge excision or segmentectomy in 4. The second pulmonary resection was lobectomy in 16 patients, bilobectomy in 2, completion pneumonectomy in 7, and wedge excision or segmentectomy in 19. There were two 30-day operative deaths (mortality rate, 4.5%). Actuarial 5- and 10-year survival rates after the first pulmonary resection for stage I disease were 55.2% and 27.0%, respectively. Five-year and 10-year survival rates for stage I disease after the second pulmonary resection were 41.0% and 31.5%, respectively. The remaining 36 patients had synchronous cancers. The pulmonary resection was lobectomy in 18 patients, bilobectomy in 3, pneumonectomy in 10, and wedge excision or segmentectomy in 8. There were two 30-day operative deaths (mortality rate, 5.6%). Actuarial overall 5- and 10-year survival rates after pulmonary resection were 15.7% and 13.8%, respectively. We conclude that an aggressive surgical approach is safe and warranted in most patients with multiple primary lung cancers and that the presence of synchronous primary cancers is ominous.     

Surgical treatment for bilateral multiple lung cancers

We reviewed 12 patients with contralateral bronchogenic carcinomas. Seven of them had metachoronous carcinomas and 5 had synchronous carcinomas. We treated 3 patients with lobectomy on both lungs, and 4 patients with lobectomy and segmentectomy, 2 patients with lobectomy and wedge resection, 2 patients with segmentectomy and thoracoscopic wedge resection, and one patient with lobectomy and ablation on each lung. Two patients who had lobectomy on both lungs were dead, one of whom of bronchofistula on operation and the other of respiratory failure 7 years and one month after second operation. The 5-year survival rate in 12 patients was 68.5% after first operation and 82.5% after second operation. We conclude that lobectomy on both lungs are not recommended because of high mortality rate and the limited resection should be considered to treat the other contralateral primary lung cancers. Because the patients with primary lung cancers have the possibility to suffer from new primary cancers in the different site of the lung, we need careful follow up of the patients after treatment on the first lung cancer.     

Surgical treatment for bilateral multiple lung cancers]

We reviewed 21 patients with bilateral multiple bronchogenic carcinomas. Eleven of them had synchronous carcinomas and 10 had metachronous carcinomas. We treated 6 patients with lobectomy and wedge resection under median sternotomy synchronously, and 2 patients with lobectomy on both lungs under standard thoracotomy, 2 patients with lobectomy and wedge resection, 1 patient with segmentectomy on both lung, 1 patient with lobectomy and segmentectomy, 1 patient with pneumonectomy and wedge resection, and 8 patients with lobectomy and thoracoscopic wedge resection on each lung metachronously. Two patients who had lobectomy on both lungs were dead, one of whom of pulmonary edema 2 weeks after second operation and the other of respiratory failure 3 years after second operation. We concluded that lobectomy on both lungs are not recommended because of high mortality rate (10%) and the limited resection under thoracoscopic surgery should be considered to treat the other contra lateral primary lung cancers.     

Surgical results for second primary lung cancer

Of 897 patients who underwent operation for lung cancer between April 1996 and March 2010, 57 patients underwent pulmonary resection for 2nd primary lung cancer. There were 44 men and 13 women. The average age at the 2nd operation was 71. The initial pulmonary resection was lobectomy in 49 patients, segmentectomy in 4 and wedge resection in 4. The 2nd pulmonary resection was lobectomy in 10 patients, segmentectomy in 12 and wedge resection in 35. Preoperative stage of the 2nd primary lung cancer was IA in 43, IB in 13 and IIB in 1. Postoperative stage was IA in 38, IB in 10, IIA in 1, IIB in 3, IIIA in 2 and IIIB in 3. Surgical complications occurred in 4, but there were no perioperative deaths. The 5-year survival rate for 2nd primary lung cancers was 59.9%. The 5-year survival rate for patients treated with wedge resection was 71.1%. The 5-year survival rate of the patients with p-stage IA was 72.7%, and that for patients with p-stage IB or more advanced diseases was 32.9%. We conclude that an aggressive surgical approach for a 2nd primary lung cancer is effective and is linked with good outcome if the tumor is detected at stage IA, when the possible cure by performing wedge resection is promissing.     

Surgical treatment and outcome for postoperative recurrent or second primary lung cancer

From 2000 to 2009, we retrospectively reviewed 62 patients who underwent surgical treatment for postoperative recurrent or 2nd primary lung cancer. Of the 62 patients, 43 were men and 19 were women with an average age of 67.6 years old. The histology of the initial primary lung cancer was adenocarcinoma in 42 patients, squamous cell carcinoma in 18, large cell carcinoma in 1 and small cell carcinoma in 1. The surgical procedures for 1st operation were lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection in 52, bilobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection in 4, sleeve lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection in 3, and lobectomy + segmentectomy or wedge resection with mediastinal lymph node dissection in 3. p-stage of the 1st primary lung cancer was IA in 22, IB in 16, II A in 7, IIB in 6, IIIA in 6, IIIB in 4, and IV in 1. On the 2nd operation, 56 patients underwent limited surgery. Five patients underwent a lobectomy twice metachronous bilateral lesions and 1 patient underwent completion pneumonectomy (CP) at the 2nd operation. The average age at 2nd operation was 71.8 years old. Of these, 42 patients were diagnosed 2nd primary lung cancer, 20 patients were recurrent disease histologically. The 5-year survival rate of the patients with metachronous and recurrent disease from the 2nd operation was 54.1%, and 43.1%, respectively. Although lobectomy or CP should be considered the surgical procedure of choice for patients with metachronous lung cancer, with this result, we consider that postoperative good survival can be expected by even the limited operation for cases of postoperative recurrent or 2nd primary lung cancer because of possible early detection. We conclude that limited surgery may be a treatment of choice for recurrent or 2nd primary lung cancer after initial operation.     

Surgical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer 1 cm or less in diameter

BACKGROUND: Routine lung cancer screening does not currently exist in the United States. Computed tomography can detect small cancers and may well be the screening choice in the future. Controversy exists, however, regarding the surgical management of these small lung cancers. METHODS: The records of all patients were reviewed who underwent resection of solitary non-small cell lung cancers 1 cm or less in diameter from 1980 through 1999. RESULTS: The study included 100 patients (56 men and 44 women) with a median age of 67 years (range 43 to 84 years). Lobectomy was performed in 71 patients, bilobectomy in 4, segmentectomy in 12, and wedge excision in 13. Ninety-four patients had complete mediastinal lymph node dissection. The cancer was an adenocarcinoma in 48 patients, squamous cell carcinoma in 26, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in 19, large cell carcinoma in 4, adenosquamous cell carcinoma in 2, and undifferentiated in 1. Tumor diameter ranged from 3 to 10 mm. Seven patients had lymph node metastases (N1, 5 patients; N2, 2 patients). Postsurgical stage was IA in 92 patients, IB in 1, IIA in 5, and IIIA in 2. There were four operative deaths. Follow-up was complete in all patients and ranged from 4 to 214 months (median 43 months). Eighteen patients (18.0%) developed recurrent lung cancer. Overall and lung cancer-specific 5-year survivals were 64.1% and 85.4%, respectively. Patients who underwent lobectomy had significantly better survival and fewer recurrences than patients who had wedge excision or segmentectomy (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Because recurrent cancer and lymph node metastasis can occur in patients with non-small cell lung cancers 1 cm or less in size, lobectomy with lymph node dissection is warranted when medically possible.     

Subsequent pulmonary resection for bronchogenic carcinoma after pneumonectomy

BACKGROUND: Patients who have undergone a pneumonectomy for bronchogenic carcinoma are at risk of cancer in the contralateral lung. Little information exists regarding the outcome of subsequent lung operation for lung cancer after pneumonectomy. METHODS: The records of all patients who underwent lung resection after pneumonectomy for lung cancer from January 1980 through July 2001 were reviewed. RESULTS: There were 24 patients (18 men and 6 women). Median age was 64 years (range, 43 to 84 years). Median preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 1.47 L (range, 0.66 to 2.55 L). Subsequent pulmonary resection was performed 2 to 213 months after pneumonectomy (median, 23 months). Wedge excision was performed in 20 patients, segmentectomy in 3, and lobectomy in 1. Diagnosis was a metachronous lung cancer in 14 patients and metastatic lung cancer in 10. Complications occurred in 11 patients (44.0%), and 2 died (operative mortality, 8.3%). Median hospitalization was 7 days (range, 2 to 72 days). Follow-up was complete in all patients and ranged between 6 and 140 months (median, 37 months). Overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survivals were 87%, 61%, and 40%, respectively. Five-year survival of patients undergoing resection for a metachronous lung cancer (50%) was better than the survival of patients who underwent resection for metastatic cancer (14%; p = 0.14). Five-year survival after a solitary wedge excision was 46% compared with 25% after a more extensive resection (p = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: Limited pulmonary resection of the contralateral lung after pneumonectomy is associated with acceptable morbidity and mortality. Long-term survival is possible, especially in patients with a metachronous cancer. Solitary wedge excision is the treatment of choice.     

Surgical treatment for metachronous lung cancer

We performed a retrospective review of 45 consecutive patients with metachronous multiple primary lung cancer who underwent resection between 1990 and 2009. Surgical treatment of the 1st tumor consisted of 39 lobectomies and 3 segmentectomies, and 3 wedge resections. The 2nd tumor was removed by means of a lobectomy in 9 patients, a segmentectomy in 17 patients, a wedge resection in 19 patients. No postoperative mortality was observed. Histologic classification was similar in 86.4% of patients and different in 13.6%. Postoperative stage of the 2nd tumor was IA in 31 patients, IB in 7, IIA in 1, IIIA in 3, IIIB in 3. Median follow-up was 48.4 months after 2nd operation. The 5-year survival rate was 90.8% after 1st operation and 85.6% after 2nd operation. The 5-year survival rate in patients with p-stage IA was 96.4%. Patients with metachronous lung cancer could have a favorable outcome. Thus we need careful follow-up of the patients after treatment on the 1st lung cancer, and moreover an aggressive surgical treatment is recommended as long as their performance state or residual pulmonary function allows.     

History of limited resection for non-small cell lung cancer.

A retrospective study of limited resection for lung cancer in a large number of patients was first reported in the 1970s. The reported outcome of segmentectomy was comparable to that of standard lobectomy. The North American Lung Cancer Study Group (LCSG) performed a randomized controlled clinical trial to compare limited resection (segment or wedge) with lobectomy for T1N0 (stage IA) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the 1980s. The study revealed a significant excess of intrathoracic recurrence rate and a tendency to poorer survival in the limited resection group. Since then, limited resection has not been considered the standard operation for lung cancer. However, this situation is gradually changing, because the recent introduction of chest computed tomography (CT) to mass surveys has made peripherally located lung cancer detectable at the earliest stage. Several recent non-randomized studies of intentional limited resection from Japan demonstrated good outcomes comparable to those of lobectomy. Organ-sparing wedge resection without systematic dissection of lymph nodes may be suitable for some types of small lung cancers detected only by CT. Our meta-analysis of published data comparing survival rates after limited resection and lobectomy for stage I lung cancer revealed that limited resection was comparable to lobectomy. Further studies are necessary to define precise targets of intentional limited resection for lung cancer.     

双原发肺癌外科治疗的疗效分析

目的 探讨双原发肺癌的外科治疗结局和长期生存率.方法 对1999年1月至2009年6月收治的98例双原发肺癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析.同时双原发肺癌患者共72例,其中男性54例,女性18例;发病中位年龄66岁.异时双原发肺癌患者26例,其中男性20例,女性6例;第一原发癌发病中位年龄59.5岁,第二原发癌发病中位年龄66岁.同时双原发肺癌患者72例,144个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除9例,双肺叶切除14例,全肺切除6例,肺叶切除并楔形切除33例,双楔形切除9例,双肺叶切除并楔形切除1例;异时双原发肺癌患者26例,52个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除31次,双肺叶切除1次,楔形切除10次,全肺切除8次.结果 全组患者术后30 d病死率为0,术后并发症发生率为13.3%.全组患者从术后开始随访至2009年12月,随访率＞90%.全组患者从发现第一原发癌开始计算,其5年生存率为66.4%.异时第一原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异有统计学意义(96.2%比43.0%,P=0.000).异时第二原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异无统计学意义(45.9%比43.0%,P=0.634).结论 外科手术治疗双原发肺癌是合理的,能使患者获得较高的长期生存预期.

Abstract：

Objective To verify the outcome and long-term survival of surgical management for double primary lung cancers. Methods The clinical data of 98 patients with double primary lung cancers admitted between January 1999 and June 2009 was analyzed retrospectively. There were 72 cases of synchronous double primary lung cancers, including 54 males and 18 females with median age of onset of 66 years (37 to 79 years). Thoracic surgical procedures for 144 tumor lesions included lobectomy for 9 cases, bilobectomy for 14 cases, pneumonectomy for 6 cases, lobectomy plus wedge resection for 33 cases, double wedge resection for 9 cases, and bilobectomy plus wedge resection for 1 case. There were 26 cases of metachronous double primary lung cancers, including 20 males and 6 females. The median age for the first primary cancer was 59. 5 years (38 to 73 years) , for second primary cancer was 66 years (47 to 77 years). Thoracic surgical procedures for 52 tumor lesions included lobectomy for 31 cases, bilobectomy for 1 cases, wedge resection for 10 cases, and pneumonectomy for 8 cases. Results The overall 30-day mortality was 0.Postoperative complications rate was 13. 3% . All patients were followed up after the operation. Until December 2009, follow-up rate was over 90%. Five-year survival for all the patients from the time of initial diagnosis of cancer was 66. 4%. Five-year survival for patients with metachronous and synchronous disease from the time of initial diagnosis of cancer was 96. 2% and 43. 0% ( P =0. 000) , respectively. Survival at 5 years for the second cancer of metachronous disease and synchronous disease was 45. 9% and 43. 0% (P =0. 634) ,respectively. Conclusion Surgical treatment for double primary lung cancer is reasonable, and the patients can make long-term survival.     

双原发肺癌外科治疗的疗效分析

目的 探讨双原发肺癌的外科治疗结局和长期生存率.方法 对1999年1月至2009年6月收治的98例双原发肺癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析.同时双原发肺癌患者共72例,其中男性54例,女性18例;发病中位年龄66岁.异时双原发肺癌患者26例,其中男性20例,女性6例;第一原发癌发病中位年龄59.5岁,第二原发癌发病中位年龄66岁.同时双原发肺癌患者72例,144个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除9例,双肺叶切除14例,全肺切除6例,肺叶切除并楔形切除33例,双楔形切除9例,双肺叶切除并楔形切除1例;异时双原发肺癌患者26例,52个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除31次,双肺叶切除1次,楔形切除10次,全肺切除8次.结果 全组患者术后30 d病死率为0,术后并发症发生率为13.3%.全组患者从术后开始随访至2009年12月,随访率＞90%.全组患者从发现第一原发癌开始计算,其5年生存率为66.4%.异时第一原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异有统计学意义(96.2%比43.0%,P=0.000).异时第二原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异无统计学意义(45.9%比43.0%,P=0.634).结论 外科手术治疗双原发肺癌是合理的,能使患者获得较高的长期生存预期.     

双原发肺癌外科治疗的疗效分析

目的 探讨双原发肺癌的外科治疗结局和长期生存率.方法 对1999年1月至2009年6月收治的98例双原发肺癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析.同时双原发肺癌患者共72例,其中男性54例,女性18例;发病中位年龄66岁.异时双原发肺癌患者26例,其中男性20例,女性6例;第一原发癌发病中位年龄59.5岁,第二原发癌发病中位年龄66岁.同时双原发肺癌患者72例,144个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除9例,双肺叶切除14例,全肺切除6例,肺叶切除并楔形切除33例,双楔形切除9例,双肺叶切除并楔形切除1例;异时双原发肺癌患者26例,52个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除31次,双肺叶切除1次,楔形切除10次,全肺切除8次.结果 全组患者术后30 d病死率为0,术后并发症发生率为13.3%.全组患者从术后开始随访至2009年12月,随访率＞90%.全组患者从发现第一原发癌开始计算,其5年生存率为66.4%.异时第一原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异有统计学意义(96.2%比43.0%,P=0.000).异时第二原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异无统计学意义(45.9%比43.0%,P=0.634).结论 外科手术治疗双原发肺癌是合理的,能使患者获得较高的长期生存预期.     

双原发肺癌外科治疗的疗效分析

目的 探讨双原发肺癌的外科治疗结局和长期生存率.方法 对1999年1月至2009年6月收治的98例双原发肺癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析.同时双原发肺癌患者共72例,其中男性54例,女性18例;发病中位年龄66岁.异时双原发肺癌患者26例,其中男性20例,女性6例;第一原发癌发病中位年龄59.5岁,第二原发癌发病中位年龄66岁.同时双原发肺癌患者72例,144个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除9例,双肺叶切除14例,全肺切除6例,肺叶切除并楔形切除33例,双楔形切除9例,双肺叶切除并楔形切除1例;异时双原发肺癌患者26例,52个肿瘤病灶,手术方式包括肺叶切除31次,双肺叶切除1次,楔形切除10次,全肺切除8次.结果 全组患者术后30 d病死率为0,术后并发症发生率为13.3%.全组患者从术后开始随访至2009年12月,随访率＞90%.全组患者从发现第一原发癌开始计算,其5年生存率为66.4%.异时第一原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异有统计学意义(96.2%比43.0%,P=0.000).异时第二原发肺癌和同时双原发肺癌的5年生存率差异无统计学意义(45.9%比43.0%,P=0.634).结论 外科手术治疗双原发肺癌是合理的,能使患者获得较高的长期生存预期.     

Pulmonary resection after pneumonectomy

Patients who have a lung cancer in the residual lung after pneumonectomy should not be automatically excluded for surgical consideration. These patients should be carefully staged and evaluated physiologically. The most important initial differentiation is to distinguish a true second primary lung cancer from metastatic recurrent lung cancer. Meticulous staging with chest CT, PET, brain MRI, and mediastinoscopy should be able to successfully exclude metastatic disease, multifocal disease, or locally advanced tumors. Only patients who have stage I disease are candidates for this type of extended resection. Ideally, these patients should have small peripheral tumors that can be encompassed with a low-volume wedge resection. More extended resections, such as segmentectomy or right middle lobectomy, may be considered in some patients but seem to bear a higher operative morbidity and mortality. The need for an upper or lower lobectomy after contralateral pneumonectomy is probably an absolute contraindication to surgical resection. To tolerate pulmonary resection after pneumonectomy, and to obtain the desired survival benefit, patients should have a good to excellent performance status, no serious comorbidities, and a ppoFEV1 greater than 1.0 L/second. In these highly selected patients, pulmonary resection after pneumonectomy can be accomplished with an acceptable operative morbidity and mortality and, in true cases of metachronous second primary lung cancers, may achieve a 5-year survival rate of up to 50%.     

Surgery for intrathoracic recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer

In this study, we defined a solitary lung nodle in the same histology which could be traced its' origin from carcinoma in situ or was found over than two years' follow up as a second primary lung cancer. These cases were excluded. Eighteen cases underwent second surgery for intrathoracic recurrence. Fourteen cases were male and four cases were female. Their ages ranged from 23 to 75 (average 59.6) years. The histology were adenocarcinoma in 9 cases, squamouscarcinoma in 7, adenosquamous carcinoma in 1, large cell carcinoma in 1. The initial surgical procedures were lobectomy in 17, partial resection in 1. The initial stage were I in 13, II in 2, IIIA in 1. Pulmonary recurrence were found in 10, bronchial stump recurrence were found in 4, pulmonary hilus lymph node recurrence were found in 2, mediastinal lymph node recurrence were found in 2, pulmonary stump recurrence was found in 1. The second surgical procedures were completion pneumonectomy in 7, completion lobectomy in 1, lobectomy with segmentectomy in 1, segmentectomy or partial resection in 7, mediastinal dissection in 2. The overall 5-year survival rate of the patients with recurrence after reoperation was 31.8%. An aggressive surgical approach for recurrent lung cancer should be recommended.     

Intentional limited pulmonary resection for peripheral T1 N0 M0 small-sized lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to demonstrate that limited pulmonary resection for peripheral small-sized lung cancer yields outcomes not inferior to those of lobectomy. METHODS: During the 9-year period from 1992 to 2000, patients with cT1 N0 M0 peripheral non-small cell lung cancer whose maximum tumor diameter was 2 cm or less on diagnostic imaging and in whom lobectomy was determined to be feasible were treated with limited resection if the patient consented to the procedure and with lobectomy if consent to limited resection was not obtained. The survival and clinical outcome of the patients whose tumors were postoperatively staged as pT1 N0 M0 were compared between the limited resection group (n = 74) and the lobectomy group (n = 159). RESULTS: The limited resection group consisted of 60 patients treated with segmentectomy and 14 patients treated with wedge resection. Among patients followed up for a mean period of 52 months after the operation, neither the 3-year nor 5-year survivals differed significantly between the limited resection group (3-year survival, 94.0%; 5-year survival, 89.1%) and the lobectomy group (3-year survival, 97.0%; 5-year survival, 90.1%). Postoperative tumor recurrence was noted in 5 patients after limited resection and in 9 patients after lobectomy, and the difference in the incidence of postoperative recurrence between the 2 groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that in patients with peripheral T1 N0 M0 non-small cell lung cancer whose maximum tumor diameter was 2 cm or less, the outcome of limited pulmonary resection is comparable with that of pulmonary lobectomy.     

Surgical management of metachronous bronchial carcinoma

Objective: To assess the results of surgery for the treatment of metachronous bronchial carcinoma. Methods: From 1985 to 1999, 38 patients were operated on for a metachronous lung carcinoma, accordingly to the criteria of Martini. All tumors were staged using the new International Classification System revised in 1997. Results: Diagnosis of the second cancer was done at radiological follow-up in 30 asymptomatic patients. Seventeen metachronous locations were ipsilateral. Histology of the metachronous lesion was the same as that of the first tumour in 23 patients (60%). The first resection was a lobectomy (n=35), a pneumonectomy (n=2) and a carinal resection (n=1). The second one was a wedge resection (n=7), a segmentectomy (n=3), a lingulectomy (n=2), a lobectomy (n=9), a bilobectomy (n=1), and a pneumonectomy (n=16). There were five in-hospital deaths (13%). Completion pneumonectomy was performed in 15 patients, with one postoperative death (7%). The overall estimated 5 and 10-years actuarial survival rates from the treatment of the first cancer were 70 and 47% respectively. The 5-year survival rate after the treatment of the second cancer was 32% (median survival: 31 months), including the operative mortality. Survival was negatively affected by a resection interval of less than 2 years and the performance of atypical lung sparing pulmonary resection for the treatment of the second cancer. Conclusions: Good long-term results are achievable by the means of a second pulmonary resection in selected patients with metachronous lung cancer. Optimal cancer operations should be applied whenever functionally possible.     

Benefits of resection for metachronous lung cancer

OBJECTIVES: The benefits of resection for metachronous lung cancer are not well described. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of surgical resection for metachronous lung cancers. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of all patients who underwent a second resection for a metachronous lung cancer from July 1, 1988, to December 31, 2002. Type of resection, operative morbidity, mortality, and survival by stage were analyzed. Survival was determined by using the Kaplan-Meier survival method. All patients were pathologically staged by using the 1997 American Joint Committee on Cancer standards. RESULTS: Pulmonary resections were performed in 69 patients who had undergone a previous resection. The mean interval between the first and second resection was 2.4 +/- 2.5 years. Seventy-three percent of patients presented with stage I cancers, 9% with stage II cancers, and 17% with stage III cancers. Lobectomy and wedge resection were performed with equal frequency (42% each) for the metachronous cancers. Operative mortality for the second resection was 5.8%. The mean follow-up after the second resection was 37 months. Overall 5-year actuarial survival for the entire group after the second resection was 33.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Operations for metachronous cancers provided survival that approximated the expected survival for lung cancer. Surgical intervention should be considered as a safe and effective treatment for resectable metachronous lung cancer in patients with adequate physiologic pulmonary reserve.     

Intentional limited resection for small peripheral lung cancer based on intraoperative pathologic exploration

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the adequacy of our intentional limited resection for small peripheral lung cancer based on intraoperative pathologic exploration. METHODS: Patients who had stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a maximum tumor diameter of 2 cm or less were candidates for limited resection. If bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) was suspected on computed tomography and intraoperative pathologic exploration revealed the lesion as BAC without foci of active fibroblastic proliferation (Noguchi type A and B), wedge resection was performed. If the tumor was not suspected of being Noguchi type A or B, extended segmentectomy with intraoperative lymph node exploration was performed. RESULTS: Limited resection was performed in 34 patients, wedge resection in 14, and extended segmentectomy in 20. The median follow-up period after wedge resection was 36 months, and all patients are alive with no signs of recurrence. The median follow-up period after extended segmentectomy was 54 months. No local recurrences were found, but distant metastasis was diagnosed in one patient. The 5-year survival rate after extended segmentectomy was 93%. In the same period, lobectomy was performed in 57 patients with stage IA NSCLC with a maximum tumor diameter of 2 cm or less, and the 5-year survival rate was 84%. There were no significant differences in 5-year survival between extended segmentectomy and lobectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Careful selection of patients based on high-resolution computed tomography findings and intraoperative pathologic exploration makes intentional limited resection an acceptable option for the treatment of small peripheral NSCLC.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery for metachronous lung cancer

Of 1,391 patients who underwent operation for primary lung cancer between 2000 and 2009, 50 patients (3.6%) had a past history of pulmonary resection for lung cancer. Three patients underwent completion pneumonectomy by thoracotomy and in the other 47 patients video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was performed. We considered 42 cases (3 of completion pneumonectomy and 39 of VATS) to be metachronous lung cancer and 8 cases of VATS to be recurrence by detailed histologic assessment. We examined 39 cases of metachronous lung cancer resected by VATS. The patients were aged 68 +/- 8 years and 4 patients were aged 80-years or more. The surgical procedures performed were lobectomy in 4 patients, segmentectomy in 3, and wedge resection in 40. The operation time was 121 +/- 66 minutes and the blood loss was 67 +/- 140 ml. There were no major complications. We registered 6 deaths during follow-up; 3 were due to disease progression and 3 were due to other causes. The survival rate of the 42 patients including 3 patients who underwent completion pneumonectomy was 74.9% at 5 years. Early detection of metachronous lung cancer and surgical resection offers a favorable prognosis.