title: Lung cancer treated surgically in patients <50 years of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Some investigators have suggested that lung cancer in young patients has a more aggressive course and a poorer prognosis than lung cancer in older patients. The aim of this study was to determine if the basal characteristics and survival in younger patients with lung cancer undergoing surgical resection differ from those of older patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 1,208 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for primary lung cancer between June 1984 and March 2000, we reviewed the medical records of 110 younger patients who were < 50 years of age at the time of surgery and compared them with 1,098 older patients (> or = 50 years of age). All deaths were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the younger patient group, asymptomatic disease and adenocarcinoma was significantly more frequent, the rate of smoking was significantly higher, and the amount of smoking (Brinkman index) was significantly larger. For the 94 younger patients with complete resection, the 5-year survival rate was 61.0%, which was not significantly higher than that for the 923 older patients (57.7%). However, the 53 younger patients with stage I disease (5-year survival of 84.3%) had significantly better survival than older patients with the same condition (71.6%). Survival of patients in stage II or stage III disease was not significantly different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The younger patients had significantly better prognoses, and a statistical difference was shown especially in the early stage, while in the advanced stage the malignancy of the lung cancer itself surpassed the difference in survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hyogo Medical Center for Adults, Akashi City, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toshihiko
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsubota
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001980:Bronchi / Q000601:surgery; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking; D015996:Survival Rate