An indication for surgery of the advanced small size lung carcinoma: results of surgical therapy of pT1N2 non-small cell lung carcinoma]

A clinico-pathological study of the advanced small size lung carcinoma was performed to clarify its surgical indication. In 31 pT1N2 non-small cell lung cancer patients, postoperative survival time was compared with their surgical curativity, histologic type, histologic differentiation, cellular atypia and extent of mediastinal lymph node metastasis. In general, postoperative outcome was poor in pT1N2 non-small cell lung cancer. But postoperative survival is over 40% in moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of relative curative resection in which mediastinal lymph node metastasis proved in only one station. It is suspected that surgery would be indicated in this group.