Clinical Analysis and Surgical Results of Early Stage Lung Cancer.

Abstract

From 1972 to 1990, a total of 173 early stage lung cancer cases (67 central type and 106 peripheral type) were treated surgically at our institute. Recently increasing numbers of early stage lung cancers are being detected, which increases the rate of resectability. Seventy percent of central early lung cancer cases and 87% of peripheral lung cancer cases were detected via mass surveys. While 97% of central early lung cancers were squamous cell carcinoma and 3% adenocarcinoma, 72% of peripheral lung cancers were adenocarcinoma, 24% squamous cell carcinoma and 4% other cell types. The postoperative 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 82%, 54% for all early stage lung cancers, 76%, 42% in central early lung cancer and 86%, 64% in peripheral early lung cancer. In many cases, patients postoperatiyely died of another cancer in other organs. Observation is needed for detection of a second cancer.