title: Results of operation without adjuvant therapy in the treatment of small cell lung cancer.
abstract: The role of surgery in the treatment of small cell lung cancer remains a subject of debate. We carried out a retrospective review of 87 patients with small cell lung cancer referred to one surgeon for staging and treatment. Thirty patients (34.5%) were deemed suitable for thoracotomy. Fourteen patients had stage I disease, 5 patients had stage II disease, and 11 patients had stage III disease. Twenty-eight of the 30 patients (93.3%) went on to have surgical resection. The actual overall 5-year survival in all patients who underwent thoracotomy was 43.3%. The actual 5-year survival for patients in stages I and III was 57.1% and 55.5%, respectively. No patients with stage II disease survived 5 years. We conclude that there is a small group of patients with small cell lung cancer in whom, with careful preoperative staging, the prospects of cure by operation are similar to those with non-small lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Royal Brompton National Heart & Lung Hospitals, London, England.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goldstraw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate