非小细胞肺癌同一肺叶内转移的外科疗效及分期探讨

目的：探讨非小细胞肺癌同一肺叶内转移的外科治疗效果并评估其TNM分期。方法：对外科手术切除的51例合并原发灶同一肺叶内转移的非小细胞肺癌病人进行临床回顾性研究。结果：51例总体5年生存率为25．4％，无淋巴结转移组5年生存率为53．8％，合并淋巴结转移组为15．8％（P＜0．05）。按原发灶T分期5年生存率分别为T1 33.3％、T2 42．1％、T3 20．0％、T4 0（P＞0．05）。结论：区域淋巴结转移是影响非小细胞肺癌合并同一肺叶内转移病人的重要预后因素，目前的TNM分期没有反映该因素的影响。将原发灶为T3及T3以下的此类病人作为T3分期是恰当的。     

单中心连续500例全胸腔镜肺叶切除治疗非小细胞肺癌

目的 总结单中心连续500例非小细胞肺癌接受全胸腔镜肺叶切除病例资料和中期随访结果,探讨全胸腔镜肺叶切除治疗非小细胞肺癌的安全性、有效性和彻底性.方法 2006年9月至2011年9月,500例接受全胸腔镜肺叶切除的非小细胞肺癌患者中男267例,女233例;平均年龄62.3岁.肿瘤最大径2.65 cm.初治病例496例,肿瘤放化疗后手术4例.肿瘤位于左肺上叶129例、下叶73例,右肺上叶163例、中叶47例、下叶89例(其中1例左肺下叶和右肺中叶同时性双原发癌).手术方式为全胸腔镜下解剖性肺叶切除+系统性淋巴结清扫(包括至少3组纵隔区域淋巴结),其中单纯肺叶切除480例,复合肺叶切除(肺叶+肺叶或肺叶+肺段切除)13例,解剖性肺段切除3例,全肺切除2例,全胸腔镜下支气管袖式切除1例,同期双侧肺叶切除1例.结果 全组手术顺利,围手术期死亡1例,为高龄肺癌患者术后多器官功能衰竭死亡.手术平均198.1 min,术中出血平均214.6 ml,无严重并发症.术后肺动脉残端渗血5例,4例经再次胸腔镜手术止血,1例经保守治疗好转.术中每例平均清扫淋巴结5.7组,16.9个.中转开胸45例,中转开胸率9.0％.术后带胸管7.8天,术后平均住院10.2天.轻微并发症87例,主要包括持续心律失常等心脏异常32例,漏气超过7天28例,肺部感染或肺不张9例,乳糜胸6例,其他并发症12例.术后病理示腺癌363例,鳞癌85例,腺鳞癌12例,肺泡细胞癌28例,大细胞癌6例,其他6例.术后病理分期示Ⅰ a期161例,Ⅰb期176例,Ⅱa期46例,Ⅱb期14例,Ⅲa期85例,Ⅲb期3例,Ⅳ期15例.全组1年无瘤生存率(DFS)为90.2％,1年总体生存率(OS)为94.3％;3年分别为76.4％和81.3％.结论 全胸腔镜肺叶切除治疗早期非小细胞肺癌是一种安全、有效的手术方式,其彻底性与开胸术相仿.     

局限Ⅱ期小细胞肺癌的外科疗效分析

目的 探讨不同治疗手段和手术方式对局限Ⅱ期小细胞肺癌患者预后的影响.方法 回顾性分析2001年1月至2009年12月局限Ⅱ期小细胞肺癌患者82例临床病理资料.结果 全组患者中位生存期27.0个月,第1,3,5年生存率分别为62.1％,35.9％,21.0％.外科治疗患者中位生存期及5年生存率优于非外科治疗患者(P=0.000).行肺叶或全肺切除术患者中位生存期及5年生存率优于楔形切除术患者(P=0.048).行楔形切除术患者中位生存期及5年生存率优于非外科治疗患者(P =0.024).手术、化疗和放疗是影响局限Ⅱ期小细胞肺癌患者预后的独立因素.肺叶或全肺切除组局部复发率低于楔形切除组(P =0.030).远处转移率在肺叶或全肺切除组、楔形切除组和非外科治疗组呈逐渐上升趋势,通过两两比较,肺叶或全肺切除组低于非外科治疗组(P=0.021),肺叶或全肺切除组与楔形切除组、楔形切除组与非外科治疗组之间差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论 对于局限Ⅱ期小细胞肺癌患者,首选的初始治疗应推荐肺叶或全肺切除术,术后建议常规行辅助性化放疗.     

空洞型非小细胞肺癌的预后分析

目的 探讨空洞型非小细胞肺癌的临床病理特征对预后的影响.方法 回顾性分析手术治疗的空洞型非小细胞肺癌42例,用Kaplan-Meier法统计生存率,Log-rank进行差异性检验,分析临床病理学特征与预后的关系.将空洞型非小细胞肺癌病人按照性别、年龄、病理类型、淋巴结转移、TNM分期、是否接受术后辅助化疗6个因素与无空洞形成的非小细胞肺癌病例进行1∶2匹配,比较空洞组和无空洞组预后有无差异.结果 42例空洞型非小细胞肺癌的1、3、5年生存率分别为76.%、28.6%和14.7%.单因素分析显示空洞直径和有无胸内淋巴结转移明显影响预后.空洞组和无空洞组总的5年生存率差异无统计学意义(P=0.075).两组中的女性(P=0.040)、年龄小于60岁(P=0.032)、淋巴结转移N0组(P=0.046)、TNM分期Ⅰ期(P=0.048)的5年生存率无空洞组均高于空洞组,差别有统计学意义.结论 空洞直径和胸内淋巴结转移情况是影响空洞型非小细胞肺癌预后的重要因素.癌性空洞影响年龄小于60岁、淋巴结转移阴性和TNM分期Ⅰ期的非小细胞肺癌病人的预后,但是否影响女性非小细胞肺癌病人的预后有待研究.     

70岁以上老年早期肺癌的手术方式及预后

目的 探讨70岁以上老年Ⅰ期肺癌患者的手术方式及对预后的影响.方法 回顾性分析2003年1月至2011年1月间71例70岁以上的Ⅰ期非小细胞肺癌患者.男51例、女20例,年龄70 ～84岁,平均74岁.其中肺楔形切除和肺段切除术22例,肺叶切除术49例.随访2～81个月,平均30个月.结果 肺楔形切除、肺段切除术组及肺叶切除术组术后并发症发生率分别为36.4％和46.9％.术后住院天数11.36天和12.24天.3年总生存率85.9％和78.8％;5年总生存率56.4％和56.9％,以上各组比较均差异无统计学意义.分期为影响预后的独立因素.结论 老年Ⅰ期肺癌患者,肺楔形切除或肺段切除术可获得与肺叶切除术相似的预后.     

ⅠA期非小细胞肺癌患者肺叶切除术及肺叶部分切除术的生存分析

目的对行肺叶切除术、肺段切除术、肺楔形切除术的ⅠA期非小细胞肺癌患者进行生存分析,讨论肺段切除术、肺楔形切除术能否作为此类患者的常规可行术式。方法回顾性分析中国医科大学附属一院胸外科2012年1月至2015年6月474例术后诊断为ⅠA期非小细胞肺癌患者的临床资料,其中男192例、女282例,平均年龄60岁。对患者的性别、年龄、病理类型、肿瘤直径、手术方式、吸烟、饮酒、生存率、无瘤生存率及复发方式进行比较。结果肺楔形切除术患者无瘤生存率明显低于肺叶切除术及肺段切除术患者(P0.05),肺叶切除术和肺段切除术患者无瘤生存率差异无统计学意义(P=0.789)。当肿瘤直径≤19 mm时肺楔形切除术患者无瘤生存率仍低于肺叶切除术(P=0.006)及肺段切除术患者(P=0.065),但肺楔形切除与肺段切除患者差异无统计学意义。肿瘤直径20~30 mm的患者无瘤生存率明显低于肿瘤直径≤19 mm的患者(P=0.026)。排除肺楔形切除术患者,肿瘤直径20~30 mm行肺叶切除术及肺段切除术患者无瘤生存率也明显低于肿瘤直径≤19 mm的患者(P=0.036)。肺楔形切除术患者局部复发风险明显高于肺叶切除术(P0.001)及肺段切除术患者(P=0.002)。结论ⅠA期非小细胞肺癌患者行肺段切除术可获得与肺叶切除术近似生存率及无瘤生存率,特别是肿瘤直径≤19 mm的患者。肺楔形切除术作为治疗肺癌的术式尚需根据患者实际情况及手术目的谨慎选择。     

电视胸腔镜辅助小切口肺叶切除术63例报告

目的探讨电视胸腔镜（video—assisted thoracoscopic surgery，VATS）辅助小切口肺叶切除术在肺部疾病和非小细胞肺癌治疗中的适应证、安全性。方法1996年5月～2007年4月，VATS辅助小切口行肺叶切除术63例，其中术前诊断肺良性病变18例，肺实质性占位或恶性病变45例，行右肺上叶切除术12例，右肺中叶切除8例，右肺下叶切除27例，左肺上叶切除5例，左肺下叶切除11例。结果63例均成功行胸腔镜肺叶切除术（其中延长切口6例）。无围手术死亡。胸腔闭式引流时间4～7d，平均4．5d。术后病理诊断：原发性非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）37例（58．7％），转移癌1例（1．6％），类癌1例（1．6％）；良性病变24例（38．1％）。37例NSCLC中术后病理临床分期：Ⅰa期8例，Ⅰb期13例，Ⅱa期4例，Ⅱb期3例，Ⅲa期6例，Ⅲb期1例，Ⅳ期2例。恶性肿瘤随访34例（87．2％），其中2～12个月7例，13～24个月10例，25～36个月6例，37～48个月6例，49～60个月3例，2例生存11年。因肿瘤复发或转移死亡5例（14．7％），带瘤生存1例（2．9％），无瘤生存28例（82．4％）。Ⅰ、Ⅱ期肺癌1年和3年生存率为100％（19／19）、90％（9／10）；Ⅲ期肺癌随访5例，3例死于肿瘤复发或转移；Ⅳ期2例中1例死于转移。结论VATS辅助小切口肺叶切除术安全，可达到彻底切除目的，其适应证为肺良性疾病和Ⅰ、Ⅱ期周边型非小细胞肺癌，可作为其常规手术之一。     

跨叶侵犯的非小细胞肺癌T分期探讨及其切除范围对预后的影响

目的探讨非小细胞肺癌跨叶侵犯的合理T分期及适宜的切除范围。方法回顾性分析2007年11月至2015年7月在四川大学华西医院行根治性肺癌切除术51例患者的临床资料。按照第八版新分期,有跨叶侵犯的T2N0M0期患者34例,T3N0M0期17例。以2∶1比例纳入同时期手术局限单叶的T2N0M0、T3N0M0病例和局限单叶的T3N0M0、T4N0M0病例分别与上述两组肺癌跨叶侵犯患者进行倾向性评分匹配后入组,对照组共188例。对不同切除范围的跨叶侵犯肺癌患者的术后生存情况进行了比较。结果各组在年龄、性别、吸烟史等方面情况基本一致。跨叶T2组及单叶T2、T3组的3年及5年生存率分别是73.90%和61.60%,89.60%和89.60%及68.90%和61.20%。生存分析显示,跨叶侵犯T2组的总体生存率(OS)明显低于局限单叶T2组(P=0.042),而与单叶T3组相似(P=0.955)。三组间无进展生存率(PFS)的比较也与OS的结果一致。在跨叶T3组的分析中,其3年和5年OS分别为31.60%和21.00%,也显著低于局限单叶T3组的70.80%和65.70%(P=0.009);而与单叶T4组49.10%和28.00%的水平接近(P=0.343)。然而,跨叶T3期患者的PFS虽也表现出明显短于单叶T3组而更接近单叶T4组水平的趋势,但差异无统计学意义(P1=0.071,P2=0.648)。在跨叶侵犯切除范围的研究中,双叶/全肺切除组和单叶+楔形切除组的患者OS和PFS差异并无统计学意义。但单叶+楔形切除组在术后住院时间[(6.90±3.11)d vs.(9.23±4.43)d,P=0.030]、术后胸腔引流时间[(4.41±2.98)d vs.(6.50±4.11)d,P=0.041]及并发症发生率方面(4.00%vs.31.58%,P=0.032)相比双叶/全肺切除组降低。结论直接跨叶侵犯的肺癌在其T分期中应予以升期:依据第八版分期,直径不超过5 cm的跨叶肿瘤应升级为T3期;而直径5~7 cm的跨叶肿瘤则应被视为T4期肺癌。单叶+楔形切除术是侵犯深度不超过2 cm的周围型跨叶侵犯肿瘤一种合理的手术方式。     

cⅠA期非小细胞肺癌纵隔淋巴结切除方式的临床研究

目的 探讨不同淋巴结切除方式在病理诊断为T1的cⅠA期非小细胞肺癌治疗中的作用.方法 根据淋巴结切除方式的不同,将1998年1月至2002年5月115例病理诊断为T1的cⅠA期非小细胞肺癌患者分为系统性纵隔淋巴结清扫组(清扫组)和纵隔淋巴结采样组(采样组),回顾性分析两组的并发症、N分期及预后之间的差异,评价各临床病理因素与预后的关系.结果 清扫组平均每例切除淋巴结(15.98±3.05)个,采样组平均每例切除淋巴结6.48±2.16个,两组差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01),但清扫组的手术时间、术后胸腔引流量及并发症发生率均多于采样组.两组在淋巴结分期的改变、总生存率与无病生存率等方面差异无统计学意义;进一步分析发现,当肿瘤直径＞2 cm时,清扫组与采样组的5年总生存率分别为78.2%和54.5%,无病生存率分别为75.1%和51.3%,清扫组均高于采样组(P＜0.05);当肿瘤直径≤2 cm时,两组的5年总生存率与无病生存率无明显差别.病理类型方面,大细胞癌和腺鳞癌5年总生存率低于腺癌和鳞状细胞癌(P＜0.05),有淋巴结转移的5年总生存率与无病生存率明显低于无淋巴结转移者(P均＜0.01).结论 对于术中确定为T1的cⅠA期非小细胞肺癌,当肿瘤直径≤2 cm时,选择纵隔淋巴结采样术可以相对减小创伤;当肿瘤直径＞2 cm时,选择系统性纵隔淋巴结清扫术可能更有助于长期生存.     

Ⅰ期支气管肺泡细胞癌与肺腺癌外科治疗

目的 比较外科手术治疗的Ⅰ期支气管肺泡细胞癌与同分期肺腺癌在流行病学特点、临床表现、影像学特点、手术疗效以及复发转移方面的差异.方法 选取“肺叶切除手术病例登记统计系统”数据库收集的2006年9月至2011年12月北京大学人民医院胸外科完成的全部Ⅰ期支气管肺泡细胞癌手术病例,与同期同手术方法完成的Ⅰ期肺腺癌病例进行回顾性对比研究.结果 排除病理诊断中支气管肺泡细胞癌与腺癌混杂病例,研究共纳入337例,其中支气管肺泡细胞癌39例,肺腺癌298例.两组比较前者女性多见(69.2％对52.0％,P=0.042),年龄年轻(57.4岁对61.8岁,P=0.014),吸烟者比例较低(12.8％对29.9％,P=0.026);胸部CT上表现为磨玻璃样病变者多(35.9％对9.7％,P＜0.001),肿瘤直径小(1.4 cm对2.3 cm,P＜0.001);但在手术方式(全胸腔镜肺叶切除92.3％对95.0％,P=0.752)、手术时间(182.8 min对182.4 min,P=0.973)、术中出血量(188.2 ml对177.1 ml,P=0.700)和并发症发生率(2.6％对14.1％,P=0.076)方面两组无差异;3年无瘤生存率(100％对76.1％,P=0.030)和总生存率(100％对86.1％,P=0.041),Kaplan-Meier生存曲线显示支气管肺泡细胞癌患者均优于肺腺癌患者.结论 Ⅰ期支气管肺泡细胞癌与同分期肺腺癌相比在流行病学特点、临床表现、影像学特点和复发转移方式方面均具有特殊性,胸腔镜肺叶切除加系统淋巴结清扫是其首选合理手术方式,手术治疗预后良好.     

Staging and resection of lung cancer with minimal invasion of the adjacent lobe

Objective: Correct staging, optimal resection type, and prognosis for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with invasion of the adjacent lobe through the fissure have seldom been reported. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 351 completely resected NSCLC patients between 1994 and 2004. Of these, 152 patients had T2 and 139 had T3 NSCLC confined in one lobe and 60 patients had T2 NSCLC that shows a limited growth through the interlobar fissure into the adjacent lobe (NSCLC-ALI). Types of resections performed in patients who have NSCLC-ALI were: pneumonectomy in 40, bilobectomy in 10, and lobectomy plus partial adjacent lobe resection (LPR) in 10. Survival rates of all patients were determined and factors affecting the survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. A multivariate survival analysis of NSCLC-ALI patients including the resection type as a prognostic factor was also performed. Results: Survival of the patients with NSCLC-ALI was not statistically different from those with T3 disease (p = 0.67, log rank test) but was significantly poorer than remaining patients with simple T2 disease (p = 0.049, log-rank test). T status was found as a prognostic factor at multivariate analysis too (p = 0.037). The survival of patients who underwent pneumonectomy was significantly worse than the patient group who underwent bilobectomy or LPR (p = 0.04). There was no statistically significant difference between survival of the patients who underwent LPR and the patient group who underwent pneumonectomy or bilobectomy (p = 0.16). Hospital mortality was 6.6% (4/60) and they all underwent a pneumonectomy. During follow-up there was no local recurrence encountered in patients in LPR group. Conclusions: The prognosis of NSCLC with limited invasion of an adjacent lobe was found to be similar with that of T3 tumors. A resection type lesser than a pneumonectomy may be considered in these tumors.     

Is T2 non-small cell lung cancer located in left lower lobe appropriate to upstage?

In the TNM classification, patients with T2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have heterogeneous factors. The efficacy of surgery for T2 disease remains unsatisfactory. We retrospectively reviewed 268 T2 patients with non-small cell lung cancer for whom a curative approach had been attempted between January 1994 through December 2003. All patients were subjected to lobectomy, including dissection of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes contained in pathologically proven adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. The overall survival rates at 5 and 7 years were 58.4% and 48.5%, respectively. Five-year survival of patients with a tumor in the left lower lobe (LLL) was 38.8%; other lobe, 61.6%. Primary tumor distribution in the LLL was significantly associated with a poor survival in T2 NSCLC. In univariate analysis, tumors size less than 4 cm, tumor in the left lower lobe, histological differentiation, lymph node involvement were significantly associated with prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor in the left lower lobe (P=0.0159), histological differentiation (P=0.0071), and lymph node involvement (P=0.0266) were found to be independent prognostic factors in cases of T2 disease. In cases where the primary tumor without well differentiation is in the LLL, surgery for T2 NSCLC should be considered carefully.     

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with posterior spinal reconstruction for the resection of upper lobe lung tumors involving the spine

Background contextVideo-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is associated with less morbidity and recovery time compared with traditional open thoracotomy (OT) for the resection of early stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Local invasion of NSCLC into adjacent vertebrae confers a TNM T status of T4. Anatomical lobectomy by VATS with simultaneous posterior spinal reconstruction (PSR), as a single procedure, offers advantages to selected patients judged as suitable candidates for resection.PurposeTo report the preliminary results of a novel, multidisciplinary surgical technique for the treatment of upper lobe lung cancers with direct extension to the spine.Study designConsecutive case series.Patient sampleEight adults who underwent PSR with either VATS or OT for the treatment of a T4 (vertebral body invasion) NSCLC.Outcome measuresTotal operative time, estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis, survival, reoperations, and any other intraoperative or postoperative complication.MethodsEight consecutive patients who underwent instrumented PSR with corpectomy for the treatment of an upper lobe NSCLC at a single institution were identified. Either VATS (n=4) or OT (n=4) was performed at the time of the reconstruction in each patient. All tumors were stage III NSCLC without metastasis.ResultsPatients who underwent VATS and OT were aged 54±11 and 54±2.9 years, respectively. Mean operative time and blood loss were similar between the groups: VATS: 367±117 minutes versus OT: 518±264 minutes; VATS: 813±463 mL versus OT: 1,250±1,500 mL. Mean follow-up was 16±13 months after surgery. Complications occurred in all eight patients. One OT patient had wound dehiscence requiring a tissue flap, and another suffered from a septic shock. No wound complications developed after VATS. Death secondary to tumor recurrence occurred once in each group. For the six surviving patients, 23±15 months (range, 4.5–43 months) have elapsed since surgery.ConclusionsVideo-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with PSR is a novel and viable method for the complete resection of T4 NSCLC.     

Outcome Following Surgery for Primary Lung Cancer with Interlobar Pleural Invasion

Purpose To determine whether interlobar pleural invasion into the adjacent lobe (interlobar P3) should be assessed as T3 according to the tumor-node metastasis classification.Methods Surgically treated patients with primary lung cancer (n = 322) were analyzed.Results Tumors with interlobar P3 had a significantly lower incidence of mass screening detection, a higher occurrence rate of squamous cell carcinoma, and a larger tumor diameter than tumors without interlobar P3. The lymph node metastatic rate did not differ between the patients with and without interlobar P3. The 5-year survival rate of patients with interlobar P3 was 63% and the rates of other patients were 56% with T1 disease, 57% with T2, 31% with T3, and 19% with T4. The survival rate for patients with interlobar P3 was higher than for those with T3 without interlobar P3 (P < 0.05). The 5-year survival rate of the patients with interlobar P3 was lower in adenocarcinoma (39%) than in squamous cell carcinoma (69%, P < 0.01). The results were similar when the analysis was restricted to patients without lymph node metastasis. In adenocarcinoma, the survival rate for interlobar P3 was between the rates for T2 (53%) and T3 (13%) without interlobar P3, whereas in squamous cell carcinoma, the survival rate for interlobar P3 was between the rates for T1 (88%) and T2 (54%) without interlobar P3.Conclusion Tumors with interlobar P3 should be classified as T2 only in squamous cell carcinoma.This study was presented at the 10th World Conference of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, held in Vancouver, Canada, August 10–14, 2003     

Does stage T3a renal cell carcinoma embrace a homogeneous group of patients?

PURPOSE: Renal cell carcinoma invading the perinephric fat is classified as a stage T3a tumor in the 2002 TNM version. Based on long-term followup we examined the prognostic significance of this definition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the outcome in 237 consecutive patients with localized renal cell carcinoma operated on between January 1985 and December 1997. Median followup was 8 years. Disease-free survival was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Based on this we proposed and tested a new TNM system against the 2002 TNM version. RESULTS: Tumor recurrence was diagnosed in 48 patients (20.2%) at a median of 21.5 months. Diameter based analysis of stage T3a revealed that this was an inhomogeneous group that included patients with small tumors and an excellent prognosis along with patients with large tumors and a poor prognosis. Based on this information we initiated a modified TNM staging system that ignores perinephric fat invasion. In the proposed staging system stage T1a includes tumors 4 cm or less and stage T1b includes tumors more than 4 but 7 cm or less. Stage T2 is divided into T2a-tumors greater than 7 but 10 cm or less and T2b-tumors greater than 10 cm. Stage T3a is reserved for renal vein tumor invasion. The proposed TNM performed better than the 2002 version using the Nagelkerke R(2) test (0.439 vs 0.359), and the Hosmer and Lemeshow test (0.335 vs 0.191). CONCLUSIONS: The current definition of stage T3a renal cell carcinoma embraces an inhomogeneous group of patients with marked differences in prognosis. We believe that tumor invasion into the perinephric fat does not necessarily predict aggressive biological behavior.     

Sentinel node sampling limits lymphadenectomy in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: It is controversial whether a systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection (MLND) needs to be performed in all patients with stage I lung cancer. The present study was done to examine the new sentinel lymph nodes hypothesis based on the lobe of the primary tumor. METHODS: In our first study, the lymph node (LN) metastases were assessed in 291 stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who had a major lung resection with a systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection. We evaluated the validity of using our new sentinel lymph nodes method based on the lobe of the primary tumor as follows: the pretracheal (#3), tracheobronchial (#4), and hilar nodes (#10) for right upper lobe tumors; #4, subcarinal (#7), and #10 for middle lobe tumors; the subaortic (#5), paraaortic (#6), and #10 for left upper lobe tumors; and the #7, #10, and interlobar nodes (#11) for tumors in either lower lobes. In the second study, we performed a lobectomy with new sentinel node sampling in 64 patients with preoperative complications. If all of the sampling nodes showed no metastases on frozen section diagnosis, systematic node dissections were not performed. RESULTS: Six of 291 patients in the first study had skip metastases that did not involve the new sentinel nodes; 5 of the 6 patients had macroscopic pleural invasion. Thus, we defined pleural invasion as an exclusion criterion for the second study. In the second study, the median follow-up time was 39 months. Metastatic lymph nodes were detected in 11 of 64 patients. Fifty-three patients (83%) had no metastasis in the sampled nodes, and, therefore, a mediastinal lymph node dissection was not done. The morbidity rate in the sampling group was 36%, and there was no mortality. In the sampling group, local recurrences were observed in two patients, distant metastases in eight, and carcinomatous pleuritis in one; the overall 5-year survival rate was 82%. CONCLUSIONS: We found that it is possible to perform a less invasive lymphadenectomy for patients with stage I lung cancer using intra-operative sampling of new sentinel lymph nodes.     

Visceral pleural invasion classification in non-small cell lung cancer: a proposal on the basis of outcome assessment

OBJECTIVE: The definition of visceral pleural invasion in lung cancer TNM classification of the International Union Against Cancer lacks detail. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of the extent of pleural involvement as a prognostic factor and to propose a refined TNM classification on the basis of visceral pleural invasion. METHODS: We reviewed 1653 consecutive patients with T1, T2, and T3 surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer for their clinicopathologic characteristics and prognoses. Visceral pleural invasion was classified by using the Japan Lung Cancer Society criteria: p0, tumor with no pleural involvement beyond its elastic layer; p1, tumor extension beyond the elastic layer but no exposure on the pleural surface; and p2, tumor exposure on the pleural surface. RESULTS: The 5-year survivals for patients with p1 or p2 tumors of 3 cm or less were identical and significantly worse than those for patients with p0 tumors of the same size. Patients with p1 or p2 tumors of greater than 3 cm and patients with T3 cancers had essentially identical survivals. CONCLUSIONS: Visceral pleural invasion should be defined as tumor extension beyond the elastic layer of the visceral pleura, regardless of its exposure on the pleural surface. A tumor of 3 cm or less with visceral pleural invasion should remain classified as a T2 tumor, as presently occurs in the International Union Against Cancer staging system, and tumors of greater than 3 cm with visceral pleural invasion should be upgraded to T3 status in the International Union Against Cancer TNM classification.     

Validity and controversies in the new postoperative pathologic TNM classification based on the results of surgical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

In 1997, the latest revision of the International System for Staging Lung Cancer was published. To validate the new pathologic TNM classification for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we analyzed the survival data of 455 patients who underwent pulmonary resection and pathologic staging at our institution from January 1980 through December 1999. The overall 5-year survival rate was 51.0%. Using the revised new stage classification, the survival rate for each stage was as follows; IA: 74.2%, IB: 66.4%, IIA: 56.0%, IIB: 51.8%, IIIA: 21.0%, IIIB: 16.0%, and IV: 0%. The current TNM classification well reflected the long-term prognostic hierarchy. There were significant differences in survival rates between patients with stage IA and IB, and between patients with stage IIB and IIIA. However, there was no significant difference between patients with stage IIA and IIB. No significant difference in survival was observed among patients with stage IIIA, stage IIIB, and stage IV. Five-year survival rate of 48.3% in the T3N0M0 category was significantly better than that of 21.0% found in the new stage IIIA. The survival of patients with intrapulmonary metastases in the same lobe (pm1) was not significantly better than that found in the stage IV. The TNM staging system accurately reflects the prognosis in NSCLC, but some stage definitions can be discussed.