title: The relationship between postoperative empyema and long-term survival after pneumonectomy. Results of surgical treatment of bronchogenic carcinoma.
abstract: In order to present the possible influence of postoperative empyema on the survival rate of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma, who had been treated by pneumonectomy, a retrospective investigation was made upon 207 patients over a 10-year period. In patients with and without a complicating postoperative empyema, a cumulative survival rate of 0.04 and 0.26, respectively, was found. The difference was not significant. However, other retrospective investigations on the influence of postoperative empyema on long-term survival after surgical treatment for bronchogenic carcinoma have shown results that might stimulate prospective studies on the subject. Furthermore, this investigation showed that the probability of long-term survival was highest in patients under 60 years of age, when the bronchogenic carcinoma is a planocellular carcinoma located in the left lung without postoperative empyema. Among pneumonectomized lung cancer patients, the mortality was above expectancy, even 8-10 years after operation compared with the estimated survival rate in the average population.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D004653:Empyema / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors