Prognosis of non-surgically treated, clinical stage I lung cancer patients in Japan.
OBJECTIVE
The optimal management of stage I lung cancer is surgical resection. However, some of these patients are not candidates for surgery because of several medical problems. We analyzed prognosis of non-surgically treated, clinical stage I lung cancer patients.


RESULTS
There were 21211 lung cancer patients registered from 1982 to 1991 in the data-base of the Japanese National Chest Hospital Study Group for Lung Cancer, and the number of non-surgically treated, clinical stage I lung cancer patients during the 10 years was 802. The 5- and 10-year survival rates of the 799 patients, exclusive of two carcinoid tumors and one adenid cystic carcinoma which have good prognosis, were 16.6 and 7.4%. We analyzed the 799 patients according to several prognostic factors. Sex, T factor of the tumor, histology, performance status and the method in which lung cancer was detected were prognostic factors, but age and treatment method were not associated with prognosis. Forty-nine patients survived for 5 years or more without surgical resection, but the survival rate continued to decrease even after 5 years, and the 7- and 10- year survival rates were 34.4 and 18.1% in the 49 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
It is a fact that there are long-term survivors in non-surgically treated, stage I lung cancer patients. However, the rate is low, and the survival curve continues to decrease even after 5 years. Long-term survivors might suggest the presence of a lung cancer in which the tumor growth is slow.
Motohiro
Akira
A
Department of Surgery, National Minamifukuoka Chest Hospital, 4-39-1, Yakatabaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka 815, Japan. mot@mfukuoka2.hosp.go.jp
Ueda
Hitoshi
H
Komatsu
Hikotaro
H
Yanai
Noboru
N
Mori
Takashi
T
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate