Tumor size and extension of lymph node metastases in N2 lung cancer.
In all patients with NSCLC, systematic nodal dissection was performed. Since 1981, 218 stage IIIA-N2 cases were resected. We registered 2 operative mortalities. Overall survival was 23% while, in completely resected cases, survival amounted to 30%. For long-term survival, favourable prognostic factors were cN2 T1-2 N2M0, single mediastinal node involvement and a tumor 20 mm or less in maximum size. The 5 yr survival rates of stage IIIA N2 patients was, respectively 48.1% with tumor diameter < 20 mm, 27.7% with diameter between 21-30 mm, 31.2% with diameter between 31-50 mm and, finally, 16.7% with tumors larger than 51 mm. When micrometastases to lymph nodes in p-stage I (stained with H-E) were examined with immunohistochemical staining, 27% (36 patients of 132) showed micrometastases.
Watanabe
Y
Y
Department of Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine.
Murakami
S
S
Oda
M
M
Ohta
Y
Y
Watanabe
S
S
Nozawa
H
H
Kamesui
T
T
Nozaki
Y
Y
Nonomura
A
A
Minato
H
H
Kitagawa
M
M
D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015996:Survival Rate