EPIDERMOID CARCINOMA COMPARED WITH ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE ANAL CANAL

Sixty-five cases of anal carcinoma have been treated in the past 20 years – 44 adenocarcinomas, 15 epidermoid carcinomas and 6 others. The sex ratio of male to female was 2:13 among those with epidermoid carcinoma and 27:17 in the adenocarcinoma group. There was no significant difference between the five-year survival associated with both kinds of carcinoma, though adenocarcinomas invaded more deeply and were larger. Lymph node metastases were found in 60% of cases in each group, but inguinal metastases were found in 47% of epidermoid carcinomas and 32% of adenocarcinomas; lung and liver metastases were seen in 13% of the former and 18% of the latter (there was no statistical significance). A new staging is proposed, supported by the five-year survival rate (in parentheses), as follows: Stage I-T1, T2, N0, M0 (100%); Stage II - T3, T4, N0, M0 (66.7%); Stage III - any T, N1, M0 (31.6%); Stage IV - any T, any N, M1 (0%).     

Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: prognostic factors affecting the long-term outcome after surgical resection.

From 1976 to 1989, 638 patients with squamous cell carcinoma were operated on. Reliable information concerning survival could be obtained in 540 of these cases via follow-up examinations. All tumors were retrospectively classified according to the TNM system of the fourth edition of UICC classification. The average survival time after potentially curative operation was 7.32 years in patients with stage I tumors, the 5-year survival rate was 55.3%. The corresponding values were 2.42 years and 29.1% respectively in patients with stage II tumors, compared to 1.22 years and 12.0% respectively in those with stage III a tumors. The differences between tumor stages are statistically significant. Analyzing the influence of the T and N factors on the prognosis following potentially curative surgery, the classification in the various tumor stages was largely verified. Stage III a is inhomogeneous in terms of prognosis. T and N factors showed prognostic value in this group. In the group with T3 tumors there was a significant difference in the mean survival times, independently of the lymph node status, when the patients were divided into those with T3 tumors close to the main carina (16 months) and those who had infiltrated adjacent structures (7.5 months). When differentiating the N1 location, a significant difference was found between the group of patients with T2 tumors and true lymph node metastases and the group with T2 and direct tumor infiltration of the lymph node (mean survival time 27.5 vs 42.3 months).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Thymoma needs a new staging system

Despite the wide use of the Masaoka staging system for thymoma, the distribution of survival by stage group is not well balanced. The new staging systems for testing were defined as follows: stage I was created by merging Masaoka's stages I and II, and stage IV remained unchanged. Stages II and III were defined as thymomas with invasive growth and the following combinations of tumor diameter and number of involved structures/organs. Scheme 1: stage II included tumors less than 10 cm in diameter and involving one neighboring structure/organ. Stage III included tumors with all combinations of diameter and number of involved structures/organs other than those in stage II. Scheme 2: stage II included tumors of all combinations other than those in stage III. Stage III included tumors 10 cm or more in diameter and involving two or more structures/organs. The survival curves were assessed for 138 patients treated at the National Cancer Center, Tokyo. The 10-year survival rates for each stage according to the Masaoka, Scheme 1, and Scheme 2 systems were as follows: stage I (100%, 100%, 100%), stage II (100%, 86%, 83%), stage III (70%, 64%, 34%), and stage IV (34%, 34%, 34%), respectively. The survival curves for Scheme 1 gave the most balanced distribution of survival in each staging group. By considering both tumor diameter and number of involved structures/organs, Masaoka's stages I-III could be rearranged with more balanced distribution of survival.     

Surgical treatment of 48 primary peripheral, non-small cell lung cancers equal to or greater than 8 cm. Prognostic factors and 5 years' survival

In a series of 885 resections for lung carcinoma performed between 1976 and 1986, 48 (5.5%) were for large size tumors of 8 cm and over. Pneumonectomy was performed in 28 patients (58.3%), lobectomy in 17 (35.5%) and bilobectomy in 3 (6.2). Histological type of tumor was squamous cell in 27, adenocarcinoma in 9, large cell carcinoma in 10, and adenosquamous carcinoma in 2. The stage of the disease was stage I in 16 cases, stage II in 3 cases, and stage III in 29 cases. Total survival rate including perioperative mortality (3 deaths) was 30.5% at 3 years and 16.3% at 5 years. The best prognostic factors are: age under 60 (23% survival at 5 years, and no survival over 60, (p = 0.01), absence of weight loss (24% survival at 3 years, and 14% at 3 years in case of weight loss (p = 0.02), absence of symptoms (44% at 3 years) but no survival in case of symptoms (p = 0.02), no invasion of mediastinal lymph nodes (N0 and N1), and stage I and II of the disease (50% of survival at 3 years against 20% for stage III (p = 0.04). There was no relation to survival rate between T2 and T3, squamous and adenocarcinoma, and between lobectomy and pneumonectomy. Most of our patients died of post-operative metastasis (52%), related to the large size of the tumor.     

Type of lymph node involvement and survival in pathologic N1 stage III non-small cell lung carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Survival of patients with stage II non-small lung cancer by the 1986 classification depends on the type of lymph node involvement (by direct extension or by metastases in lobar or hilar lymph nodes). The influence of these types of lymph node involvement on survival was investigated in pathologic N1 stage III patients. METHODS: Of 2,009 patients having operation from 1977 through 1993, the cases of 123 patients with pathologic N1 stage III disease (80 T3 N1 and 43 T4 N1) were reviewed. The N1 status was refined by the specific type of lymph node involvement. RESULTS: The cumulative 5-year survival rate of all hospital survivors (n = 111) was 27.2%. A significant difference in mean 5-year survival rate was observed between patients who underwent complete resection and those with incomplete resection (34.4% versus 11.4%; p = 0.0001). Further analysis was performed with hospital survivors having complete resection only (n = 76). The cumulative 5-year survival rate was 34.4%. Type of lymph node involvement did not relate to survival for the group as a whole or for the T3 and T4 subsets. Survival was not related to age, histology, type of resection, or tumor size. CONCLUSIONS: Moderately good results can be obtained with surgical resection for stage III patients with pathologic N1 disease. In contrast with stage II, complete resection of pathologic N1 higher-stage non-small cell lung carcinoma is not influenced by type of lymph node involvement.     

Carcinoma of the gallbladder--a clinical appraisal and review of 40 cases

Prognosis of 40 patients with gallbladder carcinoma who had undergone curative resection was investigated. Five-year survival rate calculated from Kaplan & Meier's method was 67% in 16 cases in Stage I, 43% in 8 cases in Stage II and 22% in 10 cases in Stage III, respectively. In 6 cases, classified as Stage IV, no case survived more than 2 years postoperatively. Most patients in Stage I had the tumors of papillary type in macroscopic appearance, papillary adenocarcinoma, and negative vascular and perineural invasions and showed better prognosis. In Stages II, III and IV, in contrast, most tumors were infiltrative or nodular type, tubular adenocarcinoma, and positive vascular and perineural invasions and demonstrated poorer prognosis. Patients in Stage I who had undergone simple cholecystectomy showed 5-year survival rate of 57%, and who underwent cholecystectomy with wedged resection of the gallbladder bed of the liver and regional lymphadenectomy (extended cholecystectomy) showed that of 100%. Extended cholecystectomy, therefore, is the procedure of choice in patients in Stage I. In patients in Stages II, III and IV, extended cholecystectomy yielded 5-year survival rate of 33%. More radical procedure or combined modality therapy must be indicated in advanced stage of the disease.     

Results of surgical treatment for lung cancer

A review is presented of 233 patients who were surgically treated for bronchial carcinoma during a five-year period. The survival time was determined in relation to operative procedure and to cell type and anatomic extent of the tumours. Staging according to the TNM classification gave five-year survival rates of 51.6% in Stage I, 12.0% in Stage II and 8.4% in Stages III-IV. Among the Stage I cases, tumours classified as T1N0M0 were associated with longer survival than were T1N1M0 or T2N0M0 tumours. It is concluded that the stage of the disease as defined by TNM classification should be regarded as the most important prognostic factor.     

National failure to operate on early stage pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: Despite studies demonstrating improved outcomes, pessimism persists regarding the effectiveness of surgery for pancreatic cancer. Our objective was to evaluate utilization of surgery in early stage disease and identify factors predicting failure to undergo surgery. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Data Base (1995-2004), 9559 patients were identified with potentially resectable tumors (pretreatment clinical Stage I: T1N0M0 and T2N0M0). Multivariate models were employed to identify factors predicting failure to undergo surgery and assess the impact of pancreatectomy on survival. RESULTS: Of clinical Stage I patients 71.4% (6823/9559) did not undergo surgery; 6.4% (616/9559) were excluded due to comorbidities; 4.2% (403/9559) refused surgery; 9.1% (869/9559) were excluded due to age; and 38.2% (3,644/9559) with potentially resectable cancers were classified as "not offered surgery." Of the 28.6% (2736/9559) of patients who underwent surgery, 96.0% (2630/2736) underwent pancreatectomy, and 4.0% (458/2736) had unresectable tumors.Patients were less likely to undergo surgery if they were older than 65 years, were black, were on Medicare or Medicaid, had pancreatic head lesions, earned lower annual incomes, or had less education (P < 0.0001). Patients were less likely to receive surgery at low-volume and community centers. Patients underwent surgery more frequently at National Cancer Institute/National Comprehensive Cancer Network-designated cancer centers (P < 0.0001). Patients who were not offered surgery had significantly better survival than those with Stage III or IV disease but worse survival than patients who underwent pancreatectomy for Stage I disease (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to characterize the striking underuse of pancreatectomy in the United States. Of early stage pancreatic cancer patients without any identifiable contraindications, 38.2% failed to undergo surgery.     

IHPBA concordant classification of primary liver cancer: working group report

The working group of the International Scientific Committee of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association(IHPBA) examined conventional staging systems and decided to establish a new staging system that depended on macroscopic findings after liver resection. The TNM/International Union Against Cancer (UICC) classification has been widely used but is too complicated. Vauthey and colleagues, and the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan (LCSGJ) have proposed new simplified classifications. These are compared and discussed. The IHPBA working group proposed a new classification, as follows. T factor. 1. Solitary 2. No more than 2 cm 3. No vascular invasion to portal vein, hepatic vein, and bile duct T1 meets all of the above three requirements.T2 meets two of the three requirements.T3 meets one of the three requirements.T4 does not meet any requirements. Stage: I T1N0M0 II T2N0M0 III T3N0M0IV A T4N0M0 Any TN1M0 IV B Any T/N, M1 The survival curves of each stage were separated clearly (P < 0.0001). The staging system is easy to remember and easy to use. We hope this staging system will be generally used in future.     

Visceral pleura invasion by non-small cell lung cancer: an underrated bad prognostic factor

BACKGROUND: Visceral pleura invasion (VPI) by non-small cell lung cancer is a factor of poor prognosis. A tumor of any size that invades the visceral pleura is classified as T2. Few studies have been conducted concerning the prognostic significance of VPI relative to other staging factors. METHODS: Between April 1984 and December 1996, 1,281 patients with T1 (n = 430) and T2 (n = 851) non-small cell lung cancer underwent curative surgical resection. Adjuvant radiation therapy was performed in 455 patients. There were 176 women and 1,105 men aged 30 to 86 years (mean, 60.9 years). Five hundred nineteen pneumonectomies, 742 lobectomies, and 20 segmentectomies were performed. In all patients, a complete mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed. International staging was stage IA and B (n = 697); stage II A and B (n = 247), and stage III A (n = 337). The patients were divided into two groups according to the existence of VPI (group I without, group II with). Both groups were compared with regard to the size of the tumors, histology, associated lymph node involvement, survival rates, and cause of death. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: VPI (group II) was identified in 19.1% of the resected specimens: group I, n = 1036; group II, n = 245. The VPI was present in only 10% of non-small cell lung cancer 3 cm or less in size, reaching 33% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer larger than 5 cm (p = 0.0001). Squamous non-small cell lung cancer were significantly less accompanied by VPI (13.5%) than the other histologic categories. The VPI was associated with a higher frequency of N2 involvement (group I = 24.6%, group II = 33.4%, p = 0.01) and N2 involvement was more extensive (two or more N2 involved stations: group I = 8.2%, group II = 15.6%, p = 0.003). Actuarial survival rates were 51.8% at 5 years and 33.8% at 10 years in group I (median, 66 months), and 34.6% at 5 years and 27.9% at 10 years in group II (median, 30 months) (p = 0.000002). Long-term survival rates significantly decreased for larger tumors. Even in patients with N2 stage tumors, the difference of survival curves between the two groups was statistically significant. Cancer-related deaths were more frequent in group II and were mainly caused by distant metastases. By multivariate analysis, visceral pleura invasion proved to be a significant independent factor of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The VPI is a factor of poor prognosis. Its frequent association with extensive N2 involvement supports the hypothesis that exfoliated tumor cells are drained through the pleural lymphatics by the mediastinal lymphatic pathways and then into the bloodstream. The VPI is an important prognostic factor and, as such should stimulate more studies to better select the patients who could benefit from adjuvant therapy.     

Preoperative staging, prognostic factors, and outcome for extremity rhabdomyosarcoma: a preliminary report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study IV (1991-1997)

BACKGROUND: During the fourth Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) Study (IRS IV, 1991-97), a preoperative staging system was evaluated prospectively for the first time. The authors evaluated this staging system and the role of surgery in extremity RMS in contemporary multimodal therapy. METHODS: A total of 139 patients (71 girls; median age, 6 years) were entered in IRS IV with extremity-site RMS. Stage was assigned by the IRSG Preoperative Staging System. Postsurgical group was determined by tumor status after initial surgical intervention. Multivariate analysis was performed using all pretreatment factors that were significant by univariate analysis, including clinical Group (i.e., I through IV), tumor invasiveness (T1,T2), nodal status (N0,N1), and tumor size (< or > or =5 cm). Failure-free survival rates (FFS) and survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan and Meier method. RESULTS: Preoperative staging and clinical group distribution were as follows: Stage 2, n = 34; Stage 3, n = 73; Stage 4, n = 32; Group I, n = 31; Group II, n = 21; Group III, n = 54; Group IV, n = 33. Three-year FFS was 55%, and the overall survival rate was 70%. Eighty-seven patients had either unresectable, gross residual disease (Group III) or metastases (Group IV). FFS was significantly worse for these patients with advanced disease, compared with that for patients with complete resection or with only microscopic residual tumor (i.e., Group I or II; Group I, 3-year FFS, 91%; Group II, 72%; Group III, 50%; Group IV, 23%; P<.001). Lymph nodes were evaluated surgically in 76 patients with positive results in 38. Clinically, 13 additional patients had nodal disease. Both stage and group were highly predictive of outcome and were highly correlated. By multivariate analysis, none of the other variables were predictors of FFS. CONCLUSIONS: This review confirms the utility of pretreatment staging for stratification of patients with extremity RMS with widely different risks of relapse, thereby paving the way for development of risk-based therapy. Group (operative staging) remains the most important predictor of FFS, emphasizing the importance of complete gross resection at initial surgical intervention, when feasible without loss of limb function. The high incidence of nodal disease in the patients who had lymph node biopsy confirms the need for surgical evaluation of lymph nodes to ensure accurate staging in children with extremity rhabdomyosarcoma.     

Treatment strategy for patients, with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

A total of 89 patients with locally advanced lung cancer (pT3-4N0-1) underwent pulmonary resection from April 1994 to April 2003 at our institutions. The overall 5-year survival rate of the 89 patients was 35.5%. No significant difference in the 5-year survival rate was found according to the following variables: histologic type, type of operation, number of resected organs, performance of adjuvant therapy and pulmonary function. In patients with pN1 disease, when patients with nodal metastasis were divided into patients with hilar (# 10) or lobar (# 11 approximately 13) metastasis, the survival rate of lobar metastasis group was superior to those of hilar metastasis group, but not significantly. In patients with pN1 disease, 5 patients were survived for more than 1,000 days. The histology was squamous cell carcinoma in 4 cases. According to the characteristics of pN1 involvement, all cases was involved only a single station.     

Liver transplantation for hilar cholangiocarcinoma: Spanish experience

INTRODUCTION: Palliative treatment for nondisseminated irresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCC) carries a 0% 5-year survival rate. The role of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in these patients is controversial because the survival rate is lower than that for other indications for transplantation and the lack of available donor organs. The aim of this paper was to review the Spanish experience in OLT for HCC and identify prognostic factors for survival. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 36 patients undergoing OLT for HCC over 13 years. RESULTS: The actuarial survival rate at 1, 3, and 5 years was 82%, 53%, and 30%, respectively. The main cause of death was tumor recurrence (53%). In the univariate analysis, the factors for a poor prognosis were vascular invasion (P<.001) namely 0% survival at 3 years when present versus 63% and 35% at 3 and 5 years, respectively, when it was not; and stages III to IVA (P<.05), namely 15% survival at 5 years versus 47% for stages I to II. Lymph node and perineural invasion also reduce survival. In the multivariate analysis, the factors for poor prognosis included vascular invasion (P<.01) and stages III to IVA (P<.01). CONCLUSION: OLT for nondisseminated irresectable HCC has higher survival rates at 3 and 5 years than palliative treatments, especially with initial stage tumors, which means that more information is needed to better select cholangiocarcinoma patients for transplantation.     

Comparison of neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy versus radiochemotherapy followed by resection for stage III (N2) NSCLC

Objective: Comparison of prospectively treated patients with neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy vs radiochemotherapy followed by resection for mediastinoscopically proven stage III N2 non-small cell lung cancer with respect to postoperative morbidity, pathological nodal downstaging, overall and disease-free survival, and site of recurrence. Methods: Eighty-two patients were enrolled between January 1994 to June 2003, 36 had cisplatin and doxetacel-based chemotherapy (group I) and 46 cisplatin-based radiochemotherapy up to 44 Gy (group II), either as sequential (25 patients) or concomitant (21 patients) treatment. All patients had evaluation of absence of distant metastases by bone scintigraphy, thoracoabdominal CT scan or PET scan, and brain MRI, and all underwent pre-induction mediastinoscopy, resection and mediastinal lymph node dissection by the same surgeon. Results: Group I and II comprised T1/2 tumors in 47 and 28%, T3 tumors in 45 and 41%, and T4 tumors in 8 and 31% of the patients, respectively (P=0.03). There was a similar distribution of the extent of resection (lobectomy, sleeve lobectomy, left and right pneumonectomy) in both groups (P=0.9). Group I and II revealed a postoperative 90-d mortality of 3 and 4% (P=0.6), a R0-resection rate of 92 and 94% (P=0.9), and a pathological mediastinal downstaging in 61 and 78% of the patients (P<0.01), respectively. 5y-overall survival and disease-free survival of all patients were 40 and 36%, respectively, without significant difference between T1–3 and T4 tumors. There was no significant difference in overall survival rate in either induction regimens, however, radiochemotherapy was associated with a longer disease-free survival than chemotherapy (P=0.04). There was no significant difference between concurrent vs sequential radiochemotherapy with respect to postoperative morbidity, resectability, pathological nodal downstaging, survival and disease-free survival. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based radiochemotherapy was associated with a similar postoperative mortality, an increased pathological nodal downstaging and a better disease-free survival as compared to cisplatin doxetacel-based chemotherapy in patients with stage III (N2) NSCLC although a higher number of T4 tumors were admitted to radiochemotherapy.     

The biological operability of stage III non-small cell lung cancer

Stage III non-small cell lung cancer represents a broad spectrum of anatomical and histological subsets of patients with differing biological characteristics and prognostic expectations. Our experience with 161 consecutive patients undergoing complete resection for Stage III non-small cell lung cancer at the M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute from 1965 through 1980 includes 69 patients with T3 N0 or N1 disease and 92 patients with an N2 classification. The cumulative 5-year survival overall was 30%: 35.6% for the T3 N0 or N1 group and 26% for the N2 patients. Seventy-three patients had squamous cell carcinoma and 76, adenocarcinoma. Small numbers of patients had other miscellaneous classifications (N = 12). In the T3 N0 or N1 subset, 43% of the patients with squamous cell carcinoma (N = 37) and 23% of those with adenocarcinoma (N = 25) survived 5 years. In the N2 subset, 39% of the patients with squamous cell carcinoma (N = 36) and 14% of the group with adenocarcinoma (N = 52) achieved long-term survival. Failure of treatment was clinically documented in 61 patients. The first observed recurrence or metastasis was at a distant site in the majority of these patients. Operative intervention for patients with Stage III M0 non-small cell lung cancer is effective and reflects the impact and limitations of resection on disease progression. Adjuvant irradiation was not shown to improve the outcome over the results of operation alone. Effective systemic therapy will be required to produce substantial changes in end results.     

Clinical outcome of epithelial tumors of the thymus

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed treatment and clinical outcome of thymic epithelial tumors of 64 patients over a 20-year period. Clinical staging of the tumor was done by according to Masaoka classification. Histological diagnosis of the tumors was done by according to the second edition of the WHO histologic classification system for thymic epithelial tumors. Survival rate was calculated after Kaplan-Meire method. RESULTS: Median age of patients was 53.7 years (ranged from 16 to 81). There were 30 men and 34 women. Eighteen patients had auto-immuno diseases. Sixty-two patients underwent surgery. In 57 patients resection was complete (extended thymo-thymectomy), but in the other five incomplete. The operative approach was median sternotomy in 51 patients and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in 6. Stage II to IV patients had postoperative mediastinal irradiation. Stage III to IV patients had postoperative cisplatin (CDDP) based chemotherapy. Inoperable patients were treated by chemo-radiotherapy. There were 42 stage I, 7 stage II, 11 stage III, 3 stage IV a, 1 stage IV b. The 5-year/10-year survival rates were 93%/89%, 71%/71%, 68.5%/--in patients with stage I, II and III. There were 5 type A tumors, 8 type AB tumors, 11 type B1 tumors, 11 type B2 tumors, 9 type B3 tumors, 11 type C tumors, the respect 5-year survival rates were 100%, 100%, 87.5%, 60%, 85.7% and 90%. Masaoka stage II to IV patients classified in B2, B3 and C type except one case. CONCLUSION: Histologic type B2, B3 and C tumors may reflect the invasive nature. Masaoka staging system and the WHO histologic classification may help the assessment and treatment of patients with thymic epithelial tumor.     

肝门胆管癌预后的影响因素分析

目的 分析影响肝门胆管癌预后的因素.方法 回顾分析我院自1999年10月至2008年5月期间71例肝门胆管癌病例资料.结果 多因素生存回归分析提示,血清CEA水平(x2=14.56,P=0.004)、手术方式(x2=22.49,P<0.001)、TNM分期(x2=12.31,P=0.005)与肝门胆管癌预后显著相关.血清CEA升高者和正常者平均生存时间分别为(7.1±5.6)个月和(10.6±7.4)个月,存在统计学差异(P<0.05);根治性切除、姑息性切除、单纯引流及未经治疗者平均生存时间分别为(17.1±9.6)个月、(10.6±4.2)个月、(7.4±2.5)个月、(3.4±1.4)个月,存在统计学差异(P<0.05);I期、II期、III期、IVa期、IVb期平均生存时间分别为(18.5±5.9)个月、(16.7±10.0)个月、(13.2±8.7)个月、(10.9±7.4)个月、(8.3±6.3)个月,存在统计学差异(P<0.05).结论 术前血清CEA正常、根治性手术切除、分期较早的患者肝门胆管癌预后相对较好.     

Long-term results of video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer: a single-centre study of 104 cases

The use of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for carrying out major pulmonary resections in the treatment of lung cancer is still controversial. In order to contribute to knowledge about the long term results obtained with this technique in the treatment of stage I NSCLC, we present data relating to research in our institute over the past 10 years. From January 1993 to December 2002, 138 patients with peripheral clinical stage I NSCLC were selected to undergo VATS lobectomy. The procedure was based on a mini-thoracotomy without rib spreading, with hilar dissection and separate sectioning of the arteries, veins and bronchi; this was associated with hilar and mediastinal lymph-node sampling. Follow-up consisted of clinical and radiological examination every 6 months in the first 2 years after surgery, then once a year; a CT scan was carried out 1, 3 and 5 years after surgery. The probability of survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Surgery by VATS was successfully completed in 122 cases, with a thoracotomy conversion rate of 11.6%. Of these, stage I was confirmed by pathological examination in only 104 cases: there were 56 T1N0 and 48 T2N0. With a mean follow-up of 65 months, the 5-year survival rate was found to be 67+/-10%; in the T1N0 it was 68+/-15%, whereas in the T2N0 it was 67+/-16%. The rate of local or regional recurrence was 4.8% while the systemic recurrence rate was 15.4%. From an appraisal of the study results we consider VATS to be a valid approach for carrying out lobectomy for the treatment of stage I pulmonary carcinoma. The long-term results are comparable to those obtained in open surgery both in terms of survival and the rate of local recurrence. Therefore in selected cases, where there is no increase in surgical risk, VATS may be the preferred approach.     

Postsurgical stage I bronchogenic carcinoma: morbid implications of recurrent disease

Three hundred forty-six patients with post-surgical non-small cell Stage I bronchogenic carcinoma were followed from 5.0 to 10.8 years (median, 7.0 years). Recurrent cancer developed in 135 patients (39%). Seventy-five recurrences were nonregional metastases (55.6%); 35 (25.9%), a subsequent primary lung cancer; and 25 (18.5%), local recurrence only. The rate of recurrent lung cancer decreased from 15.0 patients per 100 patient-years the first postoperative year to 2.3 the seventh and subsequent years. The rate of recurrence varied among the three different types of recurrent cancer. Five years after pulmonary resection, 70.0% of patients with T1 N0 neoplasms had no evidence of recurrence compared with 58.2% of patients with T2 N0 tumors (p = 0.012) and only 31.8% of patients with T1 N1 neoplasms (p less than 0.001). There was no significant difference in overall rate of recurrence among the various cell types. Currently, 174 patients are alive. Lung cancer survival (Kaplan-Meier) was 69.1% at 5 years and 61.9% at 9 years. At 2 years following detection of subsequent lung cancer, 51.8% of patients with subsequent primary lung cancer had survived lung cancer compared with 23.4% for those with local recurrence and only 8.9% for those with nonregional metastases.     

Assessment of the new TNM classification for resected lung cancer

To evaluate the revised TNM classification, we investigated the prognoses of 552 consecutive patients who had resection of non-small-cell lung cancer between April 1982 and March 1996. According to the new classification, the 5-year survival rate was 76.9% for stage I A, 57.2% for stage I B (I A versus I B, p < 0.0005), 47.7% for stage IIA, 49.8% for stage IIB, 18.6% for stage IIIA (IIB versus IIIA, p = 0.005), 16.7% for stage IIIB, and 7.9% for stage IV (IIIB versus IV, p = 0.02). Especially for patients in stage I A, there was significant difference in survival between patients with the tumor size within 1.5 cm and those with larger than 1.5 cm. The survival rate for T3N0M0 patients was significantly better than that for T3N1-2M0, but there was no significant difference between patients with T3N0M0 disease and those with T2N1M0 disease. Concerning the pm1 patients, the survival rate was significantly better than other stage IIIB patients. Our results supported the revision for dividing stage I and putting T3N0M0 into stage IIB. However, the classification is controversial about dividing stage II and putting pm1 as T4 disease. Furthermore, subgrouping of T1N0M0 disease by tumor size, T3 by tumor invaded organ will be necessary in the next revisions.